Behind Closed Doors
by Distant Cousins of Eris
Summary: AU LJ in Edwardian England... Can society's prejudices be overcome?
1. Appearances

** Disclaimer: We don't own Lily Evans, or any other characters belonging to J K Rowling you will meet as the story progresses. We do own the plot, which we want to keep, so please, don't steal it. R/R! **

A/N If you haven't already guessed from the summary, this is an AU Lily/James fic, taking place during 1905 and the following years. Plot details will soon become clear, but leave any questions/criticism in reviews. Not everything is entirely accurate to the books - the time in which they live is one obvious inaccuracy - but those details will become apparent as the story develops… we can't, after all, reveal everything in the first chapter, can we? If anybody sees anything inaccurate in our portrayal of the times, please tell us, either in a review or an email… we are trying to keep this as true to society at the time as it can be. I (Stef) wrote this chapter, with editing done by Kate. She'll write the next chapter, and I'll edit… etc etc. Enjoy! 

_ Appearances _

Lily Evans took a deep calming breath, steeling herself to open the door. Then she took another. She could do this. She had to do this; she had promised her parents that she would do this. A maid looked at her strangely, before quickly training her features into the proper uncurious mask she usually had in place.   
  
"I'll announce you now, Miss, if you please," the maid said.  
  
"Please do," Lily replied coolly. The maid opened the door to the formal parlour.  
  
"Miss Lily is here," she said, and then stepped forward into the shadows of the room, ready to be called on. Lily took another breath and swept in.   
  
"Lily!" Elizabeth Evans said happily. "Lord Richard Marks arrived only moments ago! Do come in and meet him!"  
  
"Of course, Mother," then she saw Lord Richard Marks, a friend of her father's. He didn't look as old as she had been told he was, she thought nervously. He was apparently in his late thirties, but he didn't look much older than thirty-two. "Good day, my Lord," she said demurely.   
  
Richard Marks had risen from his seat, and he now looked at her with genuine pleasure. He took her hand and, smiling openly, kissed it. "It is a real pleasure to meet you, Miss Lily," he said warmly.   
  
"And you, Lord Richard," she replied. She probably ought to curtsey, she reflected, but he was still holding her hand. Her parents would not be pleased if she fell over in front of him. He gently pulled her to the sofa he was sitting on, and they sat down together. Then he let go of her hand, to Lily's relief.   
  
"Lord Richard was just saying that he is hosting a house party at his country manor in a few months, Lily," Curtis Evans told his daughter.   
  
"Yes," Lord Marks said, turning to Lily. "I would be delighted if you would come, Miss Lily. It will be quite a small affair, no more than twenty guests. I believe you are already acquainted with a number of guests… a close friend of yours will also be coming, I believe, the recently married Lady Delia Delacorte?"  
  
Delia was most emphatically not a friend, but Lily said, "Thank you, Lord Richard. I would indeed love to come. I have heard you are rather skilled at hunting, my lord. I am afraid I know little of the sport…"  
  
"My skills are perhaps exaggerated, Miss Lily. I do enjoy hunting, fox hunting certainly, but I have not the fame your father has…" Lily smiled and nodded in all the right places, keeping the conversation going and giving the image of a well-mannered potential bride. It was, of course, second nature – seven summers worth of finishing school had ensured that she was just as faultless in her capacity as hostess as she would soon be as a houseguest in Lord Richard Marks' house party.   
  
Lily's parents, meanwhile, could not have been happier. They participated in the conversation only a little, content to let their daughter impress Lord Richard. At the rate things were going, Lily would be married within the year, bringing their money and Marks' nobility into a union that would be profitable for both parties concerned. Lily's mother wondered whether a white or a pale cream wedding dress would look better with her daughter's pale features and fiery red hair, and she determined to have her maid send for catalogues from Harrods immediately after Lord Richard had left. When her daughter got married British society would be astounded, of that much Elizabeth Evans was certain.   
  
The afternoon wore on. Lily was privately bored out of her mind; her future husband was now speaking of the book he was writing, and Lily continued to smile, nod, and feign interest. Richard Marks seemed completely enthralled by Lily – the maid had done her work well this morning, and Lily's beauty was remarkable even by her normal standards. Richard certainly seemed to be appreciating it.   
  
As the time approached six o'clock, Lily's father invited Lord Richard to join them for dinner. Internally, Lily groaned. Outwardly, she said, "Please stay, Lord Richard! Your conversation is fascinating! You would disappoint me dreadfully if you do not join us."   
  
"I could never disappoint you, Miss Lily," he said solemnly. "I would be delighted to stay for dinner."   
  
"Excellent!" Curtis Evans said warmly. "Perhaps we should adjourn to the study then, Lord Richard, while my wife and daughter prepare for this evening."  
  
"With pleasure, Sir Curtis," Richard replied warmly, and he kissed Lily's hand once more, bid both ladies farewell for the moment, and followed Curtis into his study. Lily let out an audible sigh of relief for which her mother frowned reprovingly.   
  
"What do you think of him, dear?" Elizabeth asked pointedly.  
  
"He is a delightful man, Mother."  
  
"He is indeed. Well, I shall notify the butler as to our dinner companion. I will send up the housemaid to help you dress. Find a gown suitable for dinner tonight – you must look perfect for our guest."  
  
"Of course, Mother." Lily left the room, intent on doing as she was bid. She would have just enough time to magically alter an appropriate gown into something stunning before her maid arrived to help her dress.  
  
As it turned out, Lily already had a gown that would suit her purposes almost perfectly. She changed the vibrant green to a pale one, more suitable for wearing in the summer evening. The dress needed a little lengthening – Lily had grown in her last year at Hogwarts – and she made the hem at the bottom flare a little, in keeping with the very latest French fashion. Deeming her dress suitable, Lily turned to jewellery. When the housemaid assigned to wait on Lily knocked on the door two minutes later, Lily had just finished choosing her jewellery for the evening; she had decided to go with simple and elegant jewellery to complement the simply cut but elaborately embroidered dress.   
  
It took a full hour for Lily's maid to get her out of the dress she was wearing, lace her up in the new dress, apply her makeup, and put her hair up to Lily's satisfaction. At last, Lily decided that she looked as good as she could possibly look without magic – a thought which made her realise a few spells couldn't go amiss. She dismissed the maid and, alone in her room once again, contemplated her knowledge of spells that would be useful. A couple of charms to ensure that her hair stayed in place and her makeup would not rub off later and she was ready for dinner.  
  
She was just in time, too, because no sooner had she put her wand away than her mother knocked and entered Lily's room, looking very pretty herself.   
  
"You look lovely!" Elizabeth Evans told her daughter, smiling proudly. "Lord Richard will not be able to resist you."  
  
"Thank you, Mother," Lily said, pleased that her efforts had not gone completely unnoticed. "Shall we go downstairs, then?"  
  
They went together down to the dining, trailing skirts in their wake. Elizabeth's timing, as ever, was impeccable; they reached the doors to the dining room as the butler hit the gong to announce that dinner would soon be served. Elizabeth smiled at Lily, and they both mentally counted to ten. Sure enough, Curtis and Lord Richard appeared by the doors. As custom dictated, Curtis took Lily's arm and Lord Richard offered his arm to Elizabeth with a murmured, "You look lovely, Lady Elizabeth." His eyes, however, were on Lily.  
  
"You are too kind, Lord Richard."  
  
They were seated at the dining table in the smaller of the two dining rooms, Lily facing Lord Richard, Curtis Evans facing Elizabeth. The five-course meal that followed was a culinary masterpiece, obviously surpassing Lord Richard's expectations. The evening was a complete success in Elizabeth's eyes; their guest seemed completely besotted with Lily, enjoyed the food immensely, and had already invited Lily to a Monday to Saturday party in his country estates!  
  
Conversation over the two-hour-long meal was livelier than it had been in the parlour. Elizabeth quickly steered the mealtime conversation in the direction of Lily's accomplishments with the piano, to which Lord Richard immediately responded by asking if she would play for him. The dessert ended with Lord Richard positively beaming, after which they all adjourned to the drawing room to hear Lily play the piano.   
  
She chose a soft melodic piece that she could, of course, play perfectly, and she proceeded to do so, surprising Lord Richard once more. Elizabeth was beaming.  
  
"You play excellently, Miss Lily! Where did you learn to play so well?" Lord Richard asked in admiration.  
  
"I first learnt the piano at home with my tutor, Lord Richard," Lily replied pleasantly, "but I perfected the technique in France, while I was at school there."  
  
"Your playing is superb," he said warmly. "And now, I am afraid I must leave. I hope I have not outstayed my welcome…"  
  
"Of course not!" Elizabeth replied.  
  
"I enjoyed this evening," Lily said politely. It did not even occur to her that she was lying to him. "I'm looking forward to seeing you again, Lord Richard."   
  
"And I look forward to seeing you, Miss Lily. Perhaps you would care to accompany me for a short walk in your gardens whilst the footmen ready my carriage?"   
  
"I would love to, my lord! If you do not object, father."   
  
"Not at all," Curtis told her affably. "Enjoy yourselves."   
  
"Thank you, father." The four of them stood. Curtis led the way to the door as Elizabeth excused herself to go to bed. Lord Richard thanked her and kissed her hand, and then, at the doors, thanked Curtis for the evening as well. With a short bow and a rather shy smile at Lily, he offered her his arm, which she accepted. A few words to the footmen, and then Richard was steering Lily into one of the flower gardens in their expansive gardens.   
  
The couple walked in silence for a while, enjoying the night air. Lily realised, for the first time all evening, that she was actually enjoying Richard's company. The night was cool, and there were no clouds to obscure the stars. As they approached a bench, Richard gestured for Lily to sit, and then he, too, sat next to her.   
  
"I enjoyed this evening, Miss Lily, more than I have in a long time," he said earnestly.   
  
"I too enjoyed the evening, Lord Richard, and your company."   
  
"Then I leave this evening content, lady," he said cheerfully. "It is, I believe, time for me to depart. I shall see you soon, I hope?"   
  
"I hope so, my Lord."   
  
They walked back to the front door once more, where Richard bid Lily a good night, and, again, kissed her hand, lingering longer than was perhaps strictly necessary. Lily smiled demurely and went inside as Richard stepped into his carriage and drove off. Her parents were waiting for her inside.   
  
"I think he likes me, Mother, Father," she told them. "I believe he will approach you on the matter of my courtship soon."   
  
Curtis smiled with satisfaction. "He has already done so – he asked me for permission to court you this afternoon while you were preparing for dinner. Do you like him, Lily? Would you be content to marry him, as was our agreement?"   
  
"Yes, Father." Lily told him, lying again. Marrying Richard wouldn't be too bad, she told herself sternly. She had no choice, anyway; she had already made the agreement with her parents. She had made the agreement as a ten year old upon receiving her Hogwarts letter: marrying Richard was a condition for going to the school, one that she could not refuse.   
  
"Good. I think we will see more of your suitor soon. Good night, Lily."   
  
"Good night Father, Mother," she said in reply, and went up the stairs to her room. Her maid silently detached herself from the shadows and followed her mistress up the stairs to help her ready herself for bed.   
  
It wasn't until much later, in the darkness of her room, that Lily allowed herself to cry for the future that she could not have.   
  


** A/N Hope you liked this… please R/R! The information on Edwardian society (so we stay as accurate as possible with the times) came mostly from these two internet sites:   
  
  
- (our personal favourite)   
  
  
  
  
Stef and Kate ~ Distant cousins of Eris **


	2. An Unfortunate Match

** Disclaimer: We don't own Lily Evans, James Potter, or any other characters belonging to J K Rowling you will meet as the story progresses. We do own Rebecca Potter and Lord Richard Marks. We also own the plot, which we want to keep, so please, don't steal it. R/R! **

A/N Hi , Kate here! This chapter is written by me, it is my first fic ever, the only other thing I've written is an Original fic over at fictionpress. Edited by Stef. As Stef said in Chapter 1, if anyone sees anything inaccurate in our portrayal of the times, please tell us, either in a review or an email… we are trying to keep this as true to society at the time as it can be. Enjoy! 

_An Unfortunate Match _

  
"James William Potter you dismiss Hatty our house maid and ask Marilla our cook to come only 4 days a week, leaving me to do house cleaning, the laundry and cooking for 3 days, yet you deem it unnecessary for me to buy a new pair of shoes?!" Rebecca Potter hollered. She was a plain woman of small stature, but she could make a 6ft2" man such as James Potter feel extremely small in a matter of seconds.   
  
"What do you expect me to do? Do you expect me to go to Sir and Lady Evans' annual fete wearing my bedroom slippers?! We're extremely lucky to be going at all! Remus got us invitations that we would never ordinarily get – this is the social event of the year! " she screamed at James Potter's retreating back.   
  
That woman is insufferable, how in God's name am I going to stay out of debt? James thought bitterly to himself as he headed to the Horseracing track, a leisure activity that allowed him some time alone, away from his overbearing wife. He would place a bet, however, due to his dear wife's excessive spending habits, he would more often than not be forced to bear a sense of social shame and, like today, place a bet much lower than his gentlemen peers. Not placing a bet would heighten his shame, but the alternative, not going to the races and staying with his wife instead, was by far worse than social shame.   
  
Watching the swiftness of the horses, the precision of the jockeys' moves, even though the dull sound of the horses' galloping hooves could be barely heard over the clamour from the bleachers, James could hear that thudding sound in his heart. It was the sound that reminded him of the adage "Survival of the fittest;" in this cruel world it certainly was "survival of the fittest". This thudding sound gave him the force that was necessary from him to go about his daily life, as an owner of a bakery, bringing home enough money to comfortably support a wife and possibly children in the future.   
  
James sat verbally and silently willing for number 9, Rapidité to win or at least be placed; he desperately needed the money to balance out his dear wife's spending habits. Unfortunately, today wasn't his lucky day; the last time he had won a small amount of money was 2 months ago. Obviously the owner of the horse had high expectations of it. James sat wistfully smoking a cigar, dreaming of the horse that someday he would own. She would be built to run as fast as the wind, similar to grey hounds who love the chase she would love the speed. She would be trained on the beach, building up her muscles, only the best for his belle cheval. Her mane would wave in the wind, hooves barely touching the ground, tail plaited, swinging behind her. She and would have a close relationship with her jockey, eager to please but in her heart she would run for her master. The race ended, the winners having received their money, horses being guided away, thus signalling it was time for the men to faithfully return home to their families.   
  
Upon his return, the house was unusually quiet. James would usually be greeted by the sounds of Rebecca cursing at how 'unfortunate' she was and how no one understood the position she was in. But today all was still. James cautiously entered his own house he heard a small light laugh coming from the Lady's Bedroom. To his utter disbelief he found Rebecca modelling a pair of expensive looking shoes.   
  
"They're from Harrods, aren't they a beauty?" Rebecca asked gaily, looking at her new shoes in a way similar to that of little girl admiring her first pair of "grown up" shoes.  
  
"They'll be perfect for the Evans' fete, don't you agree dear?"   
  
"Was Remus a darling for getting us invitations to Sir and Lady Evans' annual fete, it is without a doubt the most esteemed event of the season. Rebecca asked yet another rhetorical question.  
  
I saw this wonderful dress today, it was light blue muslin with a matching parasol, I can wear my straw bonnet with it and I'll have to paint my face…" Rebecca babbled.  
  
James stood there; it was inevitable he had to tell her sometime. Yet it did not seem right to ask your wife you spend less money on fashion when that was after all, her main focus in life. Maybe it could wait. "Dear, what's for Afternoon Tea?" James asked.  
  
"Oh…er" Rebecca replied, getting rather flustered, "Oh I am sorry, I got so involved in choosing a pair of shoes - I did not have time to make anything; I guess we'll have to settle for sandwiches." James grimaced but didn't comment.   
  
_*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
Two weeks later _   
  
Whilst driving along, heading for Sir and Lady's Evans' country manor James tuned out Rebecca who was once again berating him for being so parsimonious and generally complaining about the chores she had to do, even though she was neglecting to do the house cleaning. James knew that he would have to tell his wife that he was on the verge of bankruptcy. Since the day she had bought the new shoes from Harrods two weeks ago she had purchased the dress she was wearing now, a matching parasol, a pair of gloves, and a bathing suit. In his heart of hearts he wanted his wife to be happy; any faithful husband would. He felt a great sense shame that he was unable to provide for his wife.  
  
"James Potter, are you listening to me?" Rebecca barked.  
  
"Yes, dear."   
  
"I don't who you think I am, making me do the household chores when we could easily hire a new housemaid." She grumbled. "You never even gave me a proper reason for her dismissal, she was a perfectly good housemaid" She added.  
  
"Now is not the time to discuss the matter" James replied curtly.  
  
"Now is the perfect time, whatever did she do to offend you so?" Rebecca probed, her voice rising slightly.  
  
"She did absolutely nothing to offend me" James responded dryly, clearly irritated. Rebecca ignored this.  
  
"Well, it must have been something. One does not just dismiss house servants" She remarked cattily.   
  
James refused to respond.  
  
"James William Potter, if you refuse to engage in a simple conversation with me we may as well go home." Rebecca chastised, knowing full well that James wouldn't turn around.  
  
James span the steering wheel around in a mock attempt to turn the car around.   
  
"James STOP!" Rebecca commanded in an alarmed voice.  
  
He took his feet off the pedals, causing the car to stop abruptly with a jolt.  
  
Rebecca shuddered.   
  
"Rebecca, listen darling." James began gravely. "I have been meaning to explain this to you for quite a while now, believe me I did not intend on telling you this at a moment such as this. The reason why I dismissed Hatty was because we are short of money." He explained nervously.   
  
"You aren't earning enough money to support me?" Rebecca enquired shrilly.   
  
"Well, not at the moment, but sweetheart possibly if you spent a little less on clothes it would be easier to make ends meet and we could then hire a new housemaid and things will be -" James said soothingly, feeling pangs of guilt and ashamed. Cutting in, Rebecca screeched melodramatically "Are you saying what I think you are saying? Are you implying that we are hard-up because I buy clothes?!".   
  
"Darling, you are overreacting, if we spend sensibly we'll be able to hire a new housemaid in no time… please don't cry dear-"   
  
" James Potter if you think that I am going to stick around to watch you go bankrupt, you have another thing coming!" Rebecca retorted mercilessly whilst drying her tears.   
  
"Please take me home, I'll send an apology to Sir and Lady Evans'" Rebecca sniffed pitifully.   
  
She had been very much looking forward to the fete, but going in such a state she felt was unacceptable, given that after all she had appearances to keep up!   
  
James simply nodded, started the car and head home in silence.  
  
**There you go! We hope you liked it! Please don't forget to R/R, constructive criticism is appreciated. **


	3. A Married Woman

** Disclaimer: We don't own Lily Evans, James Potter, or any other characters belonging to J K Rowling you will meet as the story progresses. We do own Rebecca Potter and Lord Richard Marks. We also own the plot, which we want to keep, so please, don't steal it. R/R! **

_ A Married Woman _

Lily Evans smiled slightly at her reflection in the mirror as the maid unlaced her from her pale blue dress. She had been one of the most beautiful girls at Hogwarts, she reflected with a wistful sigh. All of the boys had wanted her; all of the girls envied her. Everyone wanted to be a part of her circle of upper-class girls; gaining acceptance into the group had been the goal for so many of the girls at the school – they had been the most popular, the most elegant, the most refined. For all of that, Hogwarts had been an experience, though. Never before had she been in such proximity with so many other students, and never before had she been expected to treat those who were obviously lower class with equality.   
  
She had had everything at Hogwarts, Lily thought. She had freedom to perform the magic she loved, admirers, and, within her little circle of rich companions, a few friends. And then there had been Remus… but, she thought as she looked at the sparkling diamond on her hand, that life was over now. She would soon be mistress of Richard's large estates; Lady Lily Marks to her husband's Lord Richard Marks.   
  
It had been only a week ago that Richard had proposed marriage to her, in the rose gardens at twilight: any girl's ideal romantic fantasy. Their marriage had been announced to the public at the Evans' annual fête, not three days ago. And now… now she would be getting married the following month, not yet nineteen. Did she love Richard? She had no idea. Did she even like him? Yes, she supposed, he was nice enough. But her duty was her duty, and she had promised her parents to let them choose a husband for her. If she wanted to do magic, they had said, then she must let them choose a nice muggle husband for her.   
  
"There you are, miss," the maid said. "I've done your dress and corset."   
  
"Thank you, Melissa," Lily told her. And suddenly, for no apparent reason, she felt her eyes tear up. Melissa was close on Lily's age, perhaps a year or two older. She had been Lily's personal maid since Lily had been twelve. They had, in a way, grown up together; Melissa working, Lily learning the dos and don'ts of a rich, well-brought-up lady. They were closer than most maids and employers, but they didn't have a friendship – the class difference was too great for that. Still… "Melissa?" she asked hesitantly.   
  
"Yes, miss?"   
  
"What… what do you think of my fiancé?"   
  
"It's hardly my place, miss… but he seems nice enough."   
  
"Yes. I suppose he is 'nice enough.'" She sighed again.   
  
"He adores you, miss Lily," Melissa reassured her.   
  
"He does, doesn't he?" Lily smiled a little, but the tears were still in her eyes. Spontaneously, she asked, "Melissa… when I marry… will you come with me? Will you be my maid when I'm Lady Marks?"   
  
"Of course, miss, if you want it. If Mr. Evans and Lady Evans agree, that is, miss." She looked quite excited at the prospect, to which Lily smiled. It would be nice, in her new household, to have at least one familiar face. And Melissa, she felt sure, would love the prestige she would have among the new servants.   
  
"I'll ask them in the morning, then," Lily said decisively. "Thank you, Melissa. Good night."   
  
"Good night, miss," Melissa replied, and left with a small curtsy.   
Elizabeth Evans had never seemed so excited. Lily sighed and fidgeted, earning a glare from her mother. "Lily, dear, do try to stand still."   
  
"Yes, mother," Lily replied. The room was far too stuffy, and the dressmaker kept accidentally sticking pins into her. "Ow!" she exclaimed, as another needle found its way into her flesh.   
  
"Sorry, miss," the dressmaker said.   
  
"If you would stop _fidgeting_," her mother said with another glare, "you would not get pricked. It's only a little longer, dear, and then you'll be finished."   
  
_With the dress_, Lily amended sourly. Then, of course, there would still be the petticoats, the train, the gloves, the shoes – her mother was determined to make her suffer, she felt sure. It was just a wedding, for goodness sake… yes, this was meant to be the day of her dreams, but how much time could one reasonably spend on a dress? A lot longer, it seemed.   
  
The next month dragged by. Lily spent the days trying on her dress after each minor adjustment, choosing flowers and then their colours for the church, then deciding on the guests to invite (she was allowed twenty of her own acquaintances, approved by her parents, to invite – the rest would be dealt with by Elizabeth, Curtis, and Richard.).   
  
The evenings were spent quietly with her family or with Richard. She still felt very strange when he kissed her goodnight when he went home, and she wondered, not for the first time, whether she was doing the right thing. Not that she had much choice.   
  
And then, at last, the wedding day came. She had professionals for her face and her hair, and then a witch famous for her cosmetic charms came to supplement the muggles' work with magic. She was told she looked breathtaking, and then found herself walking down the isle, in a state of mild disbelief. She had been raised for this moment, brought up for this moment, but the situation still felt surreal. By tomorrow she would be Lady Richard Marks… an idea that was more unpleasant, she felt, than it ought to be.   
  
Then she was at the alter, and Richard was smiling at her with an adoring look in her eyes, a look which made her nervousness change rapidly to a feeling resembling guilt more than anything else. But still she smiled and then, before she knew it, the wedding was over.   
  
And exhausted couple of hours of congratulations later, and Lily was suddenly, unavoidably, alone, at her new home, with her new husband. She did not enjoy the feeling. Not at all.   
  
A month later, Lily came back from her honeymoon. She and Richard had spent the time touring Europe, and Richard made certain to spend rather a lot of his time in extensive libraries in Paris and Rome – he spoke both French and Italian fluently, along with Latin and a little German. Compared with Lily's French and English, she felt rather inferior. He was always talking about things from his beloved history texts that he felt she ought to know about, having attended school for the last seven years. She couldn't very well tell him that it was a magic school she had attended; Richard, as it turned out, was a very devout Catholic. He was of the idea that burning witches at the stake was the best method from removing them from the Earth – a statement that she had accepted with a widening of eyes and a shudder of fear. If he found out… she would be in deep, deep trouble.   
  
Back at Richard's London house, they sat together for their first supper in their own home as husband and wife. This was unnerving, and somewhat scary, too. On their honeymoon, she had been almost able to pretend that it was just a holiday, just a trip with a friend. Of course, friends don't share rooms, but they had been continually doing things (except when Richard found a library… the only libraries that interested Lily were ones where they had books in English, preferably about magic) together. Meals, too, were always in restaurants, or with other people. They always ate together in public. This was something different, and the reality of the situation was rapidly becoming clearer. She was _married. _   
  
"Lily, dear," Richard said, breaking the silence that had sprung up. "I'm afraid I have some work to do this evening. "Tax payments, and other mundane business. I do not know whether or not I have told you, but the staff here is limited to a footman and a cook… and, of course, your own maid. Would you perhaps care to see to hiring the rest of the staff you desire? I am in need of a butler, as well… my last one decided to get married, unfortunately, and left my service shortly before our wedding."   
  
"Of course I will do so, Richard," she told him, smiling politely. "I'll put a notice in the newspaper tomorrow, shall I?"   
  
"An excellent idea. Perhaps you can interview the potential staff, as well. As you know, I will be going away on business tomorrow evening, and will return the afternoon of the next day."   
  
"I shall make enquiries, then. It will give me something to do," Lily said. She hoped it would keep her occupied… otherwise, she would find herself brooding, and that would not be good.   
  
"I shall take my leave, then. Oh! If there's anything about the house that you might wish to change, furnishings and things of the sort, don't hesitate to tell me, my dear."   
  
"Of course not. Good night, Richard."   
  
"Good night, Lily." He excused himself from the table, leaving her with a mixture of feelings. Still, like she had told him, at least she would be kept busy.   
  


** A/N Can you see where this is going? Never fear, it won't be predictable… we have plot twists galore planned. As to the next chapter... well, Kate's doing her mocks at the moment, so the next chapter might be a while, but she'll do it ASAP. Wish her luck!   
  
And I realise the links didn't come out on the first chapter... I should have remembered that ff.net doesn't like links. Anyway, I've put the links below, and just take out the spaces if you want to see them.   
  
http:// www. pbs. org/ manorhouse/ edwardianlife/ index. html - (our personal favourite)   
http:// www. fashion- era. com/   
. updown. org. uk/   
  
Now, will you review? *Grin*  
  
Stef & Kate **


	4. When One Door Closes Another Door Opens

**Disclaimer: We don't own Lily Evans, James Potter or any other characters belonging to J K Rowling you will meet as the story progresses.  We do own the plot, the characters that you don't recognise (I won't list them in fear of ruining the element of surprise). We also own the settings and fictional places, which we want to keep, so please, don't steal it.   R/R!**

**A/N I am so sorry for the long wait - nearly a month, I hope the length and quality of this chapter makes up for it! I've had to do revision for my mock exams, which are thankfully over now. Thank you to **ljpottafreak**, **Senna2**, **Escape Velocity**, **littlx1**, **Jagged Epiphany**, **chickensoup3**, **Bella Black** and **As de corazones** for reviewing this fic and thank you everyone for your patience! Enjoy!**

**_When One Door Closes Another Door Opens_**

****

Lily let out a short sharp laugh, looking up to see that she was alone at the breakfast table, for Richard had decided to remain in his study rather than engage in conversation with his new wife. 

"Melissa, I am expecting Remus Lupin to visit later this morning, please show him to the drawing room when he arrives."

"Certainly, my lady," Melissa replied politely, curtseying and exited the room promptly.

"My lady Lily!" Remus said loudly as he entered the room, lifting his hat and doing a mock bow.

"Oh Remus, you know you don't have to do that!" Lily replied, laughing in good nature.

Remus sat down, eyes twinkling with mild amusement.

"My dear Lily how was your honeymoon in Europe?  You have yet to tell me the details." 

"It was." Lily started staring dreamily into space, mouth twitching, threatening to let out a broad un-lady-like smile and she continued with enthusiasm. "It was absolutely splendid; we visited the Sistine Chapel in Rome, and Le Louvre in France. Richard insisted on visiting many libraries; I found the libraries rather dull since there were no books on magic and most of them were in foreign languages."

"You haven't told Lord Richard about you being a witch have you?" Remus accused perceptively. 

"Well how could I? He's a devout Catholic; according to him burning witches at the stake is the only honourable thing to do!" Lily exclaimed defensively.

Remus merely nodded; as good a friend he was to her, it was not his place to meddle with her marital affairs. 

"I don't know what to do Remus, a wife should not being keeping such a big secret from her husband should she?" Lily asked despairingly, hiding her face in her hands.  

Lily looked up, seeing that Remus was staring off in the distance. 

"Oh I'm so sorry Remus, I didn't mean to act this way; this is such poor behaviour on my behalf!" Lily apologised profusely.

Remus put his hand up, signalling for her to stop. 

Lily straightened, taking a few breaths to regain her composure.  

"Remus, what have you been doing since we last spoke?"

"Well, yesterday I received news that my sister is divorcing her husband - for what reasons I do not know," Remus said dryly.

"Oh divorces are such silly nonsense; I believe a man and wife should stay together for better or for worse."  

"I agree whole-heartedly, my dear Lily" Remus smiling pleasantly. 

"Yet you are still without a wife Remus, how a kind-hearted gentleman like you could be without a wife is beyond me!" Lily laughed half playfully. 

"Yes well, my un-attachment is by choice." Remus replied in a mock clipped tone. 

"More like you don't let yourself become attached," Lily responded pointedly as she reached for her cup of tea, knowing that she might have crossed the line. 

"Well, I do believe it is time for me to leave" Remus replied, standing up and reaching for his hat.  "I'll show myself out." 

_Now look what you've gone and done Lily, you don't know when to hold your tongue do you?_ She scolded herself.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The same morning 

James Potter sat in his empty house not knowing what to do with himself; yesterday afternoon Rebecca had packed up and moved, with the assistance of Geoffrey Jones (her manager) her things (her many things). Something about the interaction between the two gave James the impression that they had what could be considered more than just a 'working relationship'. She also had guilt tripped James into giving her most of furniture and had arranged for most of the furniture to be moved out of the house. She had triumphantly said, "You're on your own Potter." His father had sent a messenger to deliver a message officially stating the disowning of James William Potter and cutting all ties James had with his family, thus barring James the opportunity for inheritance. The official document read that this action was enacted by his father upon receiving word that James had put his family's name to shame by failing to carry out his duty to provide for his family. His parents obviously were uninformed to the extent of Rebecca's overindulgence, not that it would have made a difference anyway - his parents were strict on the matter of propriety.  

No wife, no family, no job, and soon to have no house since Rebecca claimed she was entitled to half of it and James had no means of paying her for it, so his only choice was to sell his half. Rebecca had bought most of the furniture, and she had guilt tripped him into giving it to her. He picked up a newspaper that was lying around and absentmindedly scanned over the page.  Instantly he became aware that he was looking at an advertisement for placements at the grand estate belonging to Lord Richard Marks, son of the late Lord Edmond Marks who had been a very prominent aristocrat. Perusing the long list, James noticed Lord Marks was in need of a butler. It would be a step down for James, but drastic times called for drastic measures. His father had made a fortune trading hemp and herring to the Russians, allowing himself and his family to buy a large manor house, which employed nearly twenty members of staff. Being a child, James had been the only member of the family allowed to wander freely between the servants' quarters and the rest of the house and as a result he was able to observe the duties of the downstairs staff.  He would be able to do the work, he felt sure.  He just would not enjoy it but at least he had magic to help him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next morning 

"Melissa, this afternoon I intend to hire some staff. Since as of yet that we have no housekeeper I believe it to be necessary that you show the potential candidates around the house after I have conducted the interviews." 

"Certainly, my lady," Melissa replied politely. 

"Lord Marks is in especial need of a butler; please show the first applicant in when he arrives." 

Melissa nodded, curtseyed, and promptly exited.

Lily felt nervous about interviewing a butler, since the first candidate was an elderly man, possibly in his mid-sixties, with small oval shaped spectacles that rested on the tip of his nose, allowing him to peer over them in a manner that conveyed aloofness and superiority. This put Lily off greatly. Nevertheless, being the strong-minded woman she was, she began the interview with as much authority as she could muster. 

 "Mr. Huntly, from your references I believe you have worked for the Bennet family for the past twelve years; may I enquiry as to what made you leave them?" Lily asked. She was sitting in a teak chair that was a family heirloom of Richard's. In fact, the house seemed to be full of things that Richard had acquired over the years. 

"The family felt my services were no longer required," Mr. Huntly replied curtly. 

"Ah, I see," Lily replied, smiling ever so slightly. It was apparent to her that the Bennet family had hit a spot of financial difficulty. 

"I do not deem it necessary to discuss your wages since you are accustomed to the usual amount. Frankly, financial matters do not interest me," Lily concluded.

"I understand perfectly," Mr. Huntley answered complacently. 

"My lady maid will show you around the manor," Lily stated, daring him to comment.

Dutifully he complied, although it was obvious to Lily that he was not impressed. 

"I bid you farewell, my lady," Mr. Huntley responded, bowing.

Lily merely nodded and exited the room. 

_Mr. Huntley would most certainly not a contender for the butler position in this household,_ Lily thought to herself. 

Lily used all her strength to stay alert; the next candidate for the butler position had taken to describing every single responsibility he had had with his previous family in immense detail and Lily had yet to find an opening to deter him off the subject. 

".And it was my duty each night to check that all the fires and lights in the house were safely dampened down but once.. ah well we needn't discuss the matter." he added quickly.

"Oh pray tell, it is essential for Lord Marks and me to know about your past experiences," Lily explained wryly.

"Ah well, it was only that one occasion mind you." Mr. Morris justified uneasily. 

Lily simply smiled. She asked sweetly, "And where did you say you were previously employed?"

"I worked for the Arbershires whilst they were residing in Bellingham."

"Oh I thought the Arbershires lived in Chestershire," Lily replied feigning naïveté.

"They did, but they had to move." Mr. Morris replied not being able to retain eye contact.  

"Ah well.I think that'll be all Mr. Morris, thank you for your application," Lily concluded, smiling to herself, picturing poor Mr. and Mrs. Abershires' house getting burnt down, as she watched Mr Morris inelegantly tip his hat in her direction her and make a swift exit. 

After a whole afternoon of interviewing, all the applicants possessed qualities that made them ill suited for the role as Lord Richard Marks' butler. She greatly respected her husband and did not want to disappoint him; therefore it was her duty to hire a butler with the utmost of care with his best interests at heart. She had been very impressed by Mr. Shaw, who had been serving the late Mr. and Mrs. Squire for the past twenty years, however Lily could not help but notice that he paid particular attention to Melissa when she was showing him around the house. She did not want to hire a butler only to have to dismiss both him and Melissa nine months later.  

Just as she was about to retire to her room to get dressed for dinner Melissa entered the room with a handsome young man.  

"My lady," he said politely, taking off his hat. 

Lily sighed; she had needed to go up to her room to get ready for the evening meal however there was something about this man's charisma that made her reconsider. 

"Lady Marks, my name is James Potter I am here in answer to the advertisement that was placed in the newspaper regarding the position as a butler to Lord Marks." 

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Potter.  What is your family background?" Lily enquired.

"My father traded hemp and herring to the Russians and my mother's childhood home was Maistons Estate; her father was the renown aristocrat Lord Wordsdale," James replied good-naturedly.

"What education did you seek?" 

"I went to a private secondary school. in Scotland," he said with a slightly nervous look to his face. Lily decided not to continue with this line of questioning since after all, she too would feel uneasy if somebody asked her which school she had gone to.  With a wry smile she thought that her uneasiness would be much more valid than this man's, though.  

"I assume you have the expertise to be a butler since your parents own a Manor house similar to this one," Lily stated. 

James saw no reason to agree or disagree with this statement and chose to perceive it as a rhetorical question, smiling to himself slightly.

After asking James a few more questions Lily was getting the impression that he was perfect for the position and she was unable to see any flaws in his character that would prevent him from dutifully serving her husband. 

"I believe that will be all, Mr. Potter. I would like to welcome you to the house as the new butler. My lady maid will show you around the house," Lily announced, her mouth threatening to give in to a broad smile, which would be very un-lady-like. 

 James Potter, trying as best he could to suppress signs of his obvious delight, bowed and allowed Lily to precede him in leaving the room.

As Lily walked up the staircase she could not help but feel that there was something familiar about James Potter. It intrigued her and felt the urge to get to know him better, but even so, she would not be able to pursue the idea since he was after all of a lower status.  Propriety had to be observed, and too overt a friendship with the butler would be a scandal. 

**I hope you liked it, it may seem quite predictable at the moment but we've got what we think are original ideas!  Ok you may be questioning Remus/Lily, I don't really want to tell you the whole history of it here, but if you are really pissed off or really dying to know leave a comment in your review and I'll email you. Essentially I don't want to ruin the story by giving it all away when Stef and I can work it into the plot in the later chapters. Please leave a review.**

**~ Kate and Stef**


	5. A New Beginning

Disclaimer: We don't own Lily Evans, James Potter or any other characters belonging to J K Rowling you will meet as the story progresses. We do own the plot, the characters that you don't recognise (I won't list them in fear of ruining the element of surprise). We also own the settings and fictional places, which we want to keep, so please, don't steal anything. R/R!

A/N And here's the next chapter!  There's an FAQ at the bottom for those of you with questions – and yes, the car issue and the Remus/Lily issue is addressed.  We're not saying too much, though, so you'll just have to keep reading to see where things go.  If you have any questions, ask them in a review and we'll address them if we can in the next chapter.  Hope you like this!

~Stef and Kate

_A New Beginning_

James looked around his new room.  It was small, with a single bed, a washstand, a cupboard, and a small desk and chair.  This would be his home – quite possibly for the rest of his life. The thought of never again having to live with Rebecca was itself a cheering one, but it lead to the embarrassment of the knowledge of having bankrupted himself and become unable to support his own family.  The only way to escape the shame was to do so in muggle London.  He had, momentarily, considered applying for a job at the ministry, but he had realised that he would not be able to bear the shame of meeting people everyday who had read the scandal of his divorce and the reason for it in the Daily Prophet.  No, it was far better to fade into anonymity in muggle London.

He put his bag down on his bed.  It looked out of place in the bare room; a bag made for those with money. He smiled bitterly – his few remaining possessions were all similar, all made for rich patrons with far too much money.  The only set of working clothes he owned he had bought yesterday morning, in preparation for his interview yesterday afternoon.  This change was going to be hard to get used to.  Still, if he had to do this, he would do it properly.  As a butler, he would be above the rest of the household staff status-wise, but not so high up that he could get away with keeping most of his belongings the same.  There was no way the other staff would not comment on his everyday clothes.  They would have to be changed.  Thankfully, he had always been rather good at Transfiguration.  

Half an hour later he stepped back and looked objectively at his clothes.  All decent working clothes, except for one modest suit and one set of garments left over from what he was beginning to call, in his mind, "the old days."  He told himself that he had left those as they were in case he wanted to escape to the middle class world once more, but they were really there for memory's sake.  He had failed in one way of life.  He would make certain he would not fail in this, his second chance.

As butler, he was head of the household staff, and said household staff had probably been arriving all afternoon.  They ought to be here by now, and he would now need to meet them, speak with all of them, establish the household rules that Lady Marks had given him, and generally organise them.  He was glad that he was coming into a new household, because if he was a new butler with other servants that already knew one another well there could be complications, especially if they did not like him.  He hoped they would not have any reason not to like him, and then suddenly realised he was nervous.  He took a deep breath, telling himself that this was no different from talking to the entire school as Hogwarts' Head Boy had been.  Not entirely calmed, he made his way downstairs.

Everybody was already assembled there when he arrived, excluding the Master and Mistress of the house of course, in the servants' dining hall.  They all looked at him expectantly, and his nerves came back at full force.  

"Welcome, everybody.  My name is James Potter, and I am the butler.  I am certain that I will come to know all of you quite well over time, but for the moment I would like to speak with each of you to ascertain your backgrounds and your knowledge of your upcoming duties.  As the Mistress has directed, I am to tell you a couple of the ground rules.

"Firstly, all standards of etiquette are to be observed despite the frequent business trips of the master.  He is away at the moment and will return tomorrow evening.  The mistress will be treated as the master would in his stead."  He cast an eye over the group, relaxing now.  A couple of the footmen – looking to be about his age – snickered. James bit back a grin – it would be hard to keep his authority in the house, especially since he was so young, and encouraging this wouldn't help.

"The mistress will be in charge, and that does not mean that the rules will be any more lax than they usually are.  Standard restrictions apply – especially the separation of male and female quarters," he added, pointedly looking at the footman who had snickered before.  "I know I'm young," James said, deciding that addressing the matter now would be best, "but that does not mean I'm inexperienced or willing to let things go.  I hope you'll find me easy to work with, but there are rules and they must be observed.  I know some of you are new to the house and some of you have been here a while, but with the new mistress and master things will, I'm afraid, be different.  We're going to have to cope with it.  If any of you have any problems, any questions, any concerns, whatever it is you want to ask, feel free to seek me out at any time – well, preferably not while I'm in the middle of helping Lord Marks, but I think you get the picture." 

By the people who smiled at his joke (everyone who seemed to be under thirty) James got an idea of who he would be dealing with.  Some of these people would be difficult to win over.  Then he grinned.  A subtle cheering charm here and there wouldn't be amiss… pity there were such strong guidelines about enchanting muggles, really.

"Well, there's a lot of work to be done tonight.  Monsieur Pignon, the Lady has asked for a simple meal tonight, as she will be dining alone.  She does not want tea, just supper at eight o'clock.  Miss Hopkins, I believe the lady has already given you your orders – you know your duties as a lady's maid.  Sirius and Charles, I want you to alternate standing at the door in case of guests and starting an inventory on the china and cutlery.  Once you've finished that we will began an list of everything else downstairs.  I shall assist you when I have finished speaking to the others.  Tony, you are to help them.  Mary and Emma, I want you working upstairs with the scullery maid, Allison.  If nobody has questions then you can get to work.  I shall speak with most of you this afternoon, but if I do not see you then I expect you all back here at six o'clock for tea.  Mrs Allgood, a word, if you please."

Everybody sauntered out except for the housekeeper, and James let himself sit down and sigh with relief.  Alice Allgood smiled kindly at him.  "Good job, Mr Potter.  You did very well for never having been a butler before.  Does the lady know that?"

James just stared at her in shock.  "Wha… how did you..,?"  

She smiled.  "I was housekeeper for the Lupins for many years.  Their daughter, Rebecca, married a young gentleman named James Potter, I believe."  She smiled at him again.  "She was by far my least favourite member of the family, although by saying that I would surely have lost my place.  I think that you, perhaps, might understand."

"I'd hoped to start afresh," James said dully.  "You must be a witch, then.  Rebecca was a squib, but apparently the rest of her family was magical.  That's the only reason I was able to marry her – her title and her family's reputation would have been far above me had she not been magic-less.  But… well, that's over now."

"She always was a spendthrift," Alice commented perceptively, and then changed the subject by saying, "Yes, I'm a witch.  The only other one in this house, excepting yourself.  I had the ministry run checks."  She smiled at him.  "Our jobs are a lot easier with magic at our disposal, Mr Potter." 

"They are.  And thanks, for not revealing me to the others, Mrs Allgood."  

She smiled again, warmly.  "There are things best kept secret.  We'll need to be working closely together, and it's best that we have all the facts down straight.  To provide a united front for the others, as they say.  Now, I'm going to speak with the maids upstairs, and then help Monsieur Pignon with the lady's supper.  You'll speak with the men, will you?"

"Yes, I had planned on doing that now.  Shall we meet back here at five to discuss notes?"  

"Sounds good, Mr Potter."

"James," he told her good-naturedly, "at least in private.  You know far too many of my secrets to be that formal."

"Then you shall call me Alice.  You'll be fine, James.  If you need advice, I'm always here."  

"Thank you.  And now, I'd best be going."  

He left, smiling.  He had been afraid that the older woman would sense his lack of experience and be difficult to work with – a fear completely unfounded, as it turned out.  Now he would see how he got on with the other men.

Questions & Answers 

**Question: Why is James Potter driving a car in Edwardian times, weren't they invented later on in the 19th century?**

Answer: No, cars were invented in the late 1800s.  They were widely used in upper class society in the Edwardian time; James is of a middle class status, but he and his wife were planning on attending an upper class event, thus they needed to arrive in style. 

**Question: Why does James own a car when he is on the verge of bankruptcy?**

Answer:  James borrowed the car from a friend.  Cars meant money, and money meant popularity and prestige at the time… the Evans' fête was one of the main social events of the year.

**Question: Will Richard find out about Lily being a witch? **

Answer: Wait and see.

**Question: What is going on with Remus/Lily?**

Answer: Lily and Remus were very close at school.  They were both different from the other students (few muggleborns of high status would have allowed their children to go to Hogwarts, and definitely not their daughters – daughters were for marriage, and little else) and both of the same social class.  They were very good friends, and each secretly wanted to be something more than friends… but both knew that it was impossible, because both of their parents already had ideas for suitable suitors.  So basically, there is no past relationship and no possibility for a future relationship, but a whole lot of repressed sexual tension. The conversations between Lily and Remus are bordering on the line between informal and formal, the fact that Lily is talking to a male visitor unchaperoned is unheard of in Edwardian society but who's going to find out? Remus is trying to be formal as befits him when treating a newly married woman, but he is informal when he forgets, reverting back to thinking of Lily as just an old friend.  

**Question: If Lily knew Remus, wouldn't she know James? **

Answer: Both Lily and Remus are members of the upper class and James is socially their inferior, he's middle class.  Remus and James were not friends at school (the class difference is far too important), and neither were Lily and James. Remember, this is AU, and when in doubt we're following society's rules over canon relationships.

**Question: Lily and James were Head Girl and Boy together, why doesn't she remember him?**

Answer: Sorry, that would give away too much, wait and see.

**Question: Where's Petunia and Vernon?**

Answer: Don't worry we haven't forgotten about them.  

**Question:  Why isn't Sirius a wizard?**

Answer:  We authors need some little secrets.  Sorry, but this is one of those things that will be explained later, for plot reasons if for nothing else.  Don't worry, though, we'll be kind to him! 

Any other questions? Feel free to ask them in your review! 


	6. Learning to Adjust

**Disclaimer: We don't own Lily Evans, James Potter, or any of the other characters belonging to J K Rowling that you'll meet as the story progresses. We do own the characters that you don't recognise, you know who they are so there's no need to list them. We also own the settings and fictional places, which we want to keep so please don't steal anything.**

**A/N Heya Kate here, hopefully you've read FAQ section at the end of the previous question so you fully understand this fic so far, but if you have any questions drop us an email or write it in your review. By the way, throughout this chapter there are a few weak jokes so do not take things literally all the time. And now onto the chapter, enjoy! **

**_Learning to Adjust _****__**

On the doorstep wrapped up tightly in a blanket lay a small infant. A small button nose and two closed eyelids were the only things to be seen. There was a note attached. Lily's eyebrows furrowed as she read and re-read the note which simply said, "Dudley Mortimer Dursley, son of the deceased Vernon Dursley, please take good care." 

"Mother, what am I to do, I have no experience in raising an infant!" Lily cried out in desperation.  "Without a doubt you and father are more qualified to raise a baby," she implored.

"Nonsense! My dear, I know this is unexpected but it is absolutely absurd of you to even suggest such a thing. What would people think of an elderly couple bringing up a baby? It is unthinkable; what total and utter disrespect you have just shown, Lily Margaret Evans!" Elisabeth Evans reprimanded and set about straightening and puffing out cushions on the sofa in an absent-minded manner.

Lily bit her bottom lip subconsciously, having never properly grown out of the childhood habit. She was certainly finding it hard adjusting to her new life as wife of Lord Marks, who was often absent. When he was around he chose to discuss historical and foreign matters at great lengths; there was only so much a girl could stand, hearing about how wonderful the French justice system was. The probability that Richard would actually spend time with the child was minimal, although Mr. Potter the butler could provide much needed male attention when necessary.  Lily pondered to herself.  She was thankful her mother could not read her thoughts, since without a doubt it would cause her frightful discomfort to think her only daughter was considering purposely disregarding the social etiquette taught and bred into her from a very young age.

Taking a deep breath, aiming to keep her voice from breaking, she said,

"Mother, I am truly sorry, it was certainly not my place to even suggest you and father bringing up Dudley…" for the first time, Lily realised she had referred to Petunia's child by his given name.  "It is my duty as Petunia's sister to raise her only son as if he were my own, I owe this if anything to my dear belated sister," Lily concluded.

Elisabeth Evans nodded in agreement. 

"I will see to it that you'll have a nurse maid to look after Dudley, but for tonight I'm sure Melissa can sort something out." Elisabeth smiled gently. "My darling, it is nearly seven o'clock."

"Mother would you care to stay for dinner? " Lily enquired sincerely.  

"Lily, you know very well it is not proper for guests to be invited to dinner at such short notice," Lily's mother said in a clipped tone, however judging from her soft eyes Lily knew her mother was not angry. 

"Very well." Lily smiled meekly, kissing her mother goodbye as Sirius, the footman, saw her to her carriage.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The distant wails of Dudley broke Lily's train of thought. Even though she knew Melissa would take care of it somehow the sharp intense wailing coming from such a small creature made her shift uneasily. _"What happens if Melissa hasn't heard?" "Maybe she's down in the cellar, far away from Dudley's bassinet?" "Will she get there in time?" _these questions continuously plagued Lily's mind until the wailing stopped; once stopped, Lily could breathe, her heart pumped faster to make up for the skipped beats. No matter how strong the urge was for her to hurry over to Dudley's bassinet and whisk him out, to utter soothing comforting sounds, she had to resist, she had to allow Melissa to take care of it until the nurse maid arrived, she had to remain detached. She could not break the invisible boundaries between herself and the downstairs staff, once one boundary was broken the rest would follow suit, crashing down. The whole hierarchical system would be ruined. She could not let that happen, not in the house owned by Lord Marks, one of the most prestigious men in the country, not to _his_ family and household staff. There was too much respect and family history at stake, she had to hold back, remain the strict mistress of the household, the elegant hostess, and the caring lady wife. 

_Who cares about class differences? _Lily scolded herself, and she hurried upstairs, only to find Melissa rocking Dudley, trying in vain to console him. 

"Here, let me," Lily said softly.

Melissa wordlessly placed Dudley in his aunt's arms. 

"There, there, hush my sweet," Lily murmured, and she proceeded to softly sing a lullaby whilst gently rocking Dudley in her arms until he at last fell asleep. His chest rose and fell ever so slightly with small breaths escaping from his mouth every so often, a slightly furrowed brow and his scrunched up button nose bearing an indignant expression. The baby was a spitting image of his father Vernon Dursley yet he had his mother's blonde hair in the form of wisps of blonde curls. 

The echoing of the dinner gong shocked Dudley out of his slumber, causing him to bawl loudly in indignation. Quickly placing Dudley into his bassinet and instructing Mary, who happened to be passing, to find Melissa.  

"Shhhh my sweet, I know that was loud, don't worry, you're safe here," Lily soothed.

Melissa quickly sailed into the room, holding out her arms ready to bear Dudley's immense weight.

Lily rushed out of the room and headed to the Lady's bedroom and she began to get dressed for dinner with the assistance of Mary, the housemaid. Lord Marks had organised a political dinner for the evening. It required Lily to have her hair wound up in tight balls of padding enabling her to create the necessary fullness, which would allow Lily to have an elaborate and elegant hairstyle. Mary laced her into the off the shoulder champagne gown with flounced sleeves that Lily had chosen beforehand. A thick band of rubies and sapphires was fastened around Lily's slender neck and earrings were placed on her ears.  She added a touch of make up and, slipping into her satin pointed toed high heels, Lily headed into the dining room to join the other dinner guests who had previously congregated in the foyer.

As Lily sat at the dinner table engaging in conversation with political figures as well as casual acquaintances, at the back of her mind she was thinking of the baby that lay in his crib, peacefully sleeping, oblivious to the importance of the dinner party that was proceeding below him. 

After the dinner party ended, Lady Lily retired to the Drawing Room and Lord Marks to the Billiard room. Lily still had not the chance to discuss with her husband what his views on Dudley's unexpected arrival. The more she thought about it, the more it became apparent to her that he would probably not voice his opinion on the matter and would expect Lily and the nurse maid to take care of Dudley during his infancy. Later, when Dudley matured Lord Marks would play a larger role in his life. This view, Lily felt, would cause Dudley to feel distant towards his uncle once he would eventually meet him, but society's values had to be observed and it certainly was not her place to question them. 

Lily presumed that Vernon had died from the mourning for his late wife who had died giving birth to Dudley, for if Vernon had died in an accident, someone would have mentioned it to her. No doubt people would question Dudley's place in the Marks family, however these comments would hopefully not be aired in her presence since as the wife of Lord Marks she was highly esteemed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After prayers, breakfast was served in the dining room; Richard sat at the head of the table with Lily at the opposite end. After pouring tea for Richard and herself, Lily sat down and began to eat the full Edwardian breakfast that had been prepared by Monsieur Pignon. It consisted of eggs, sausages, fruit, kippers and kedgeree.  Personally she disliked kedgeree, the idea of eating a dish that comprised of flaked fish, boiled rice, and eggs repulsed her, but she did not want to displease her husband so early on by refusing to eat it. She did, however, make a mental note to inform Monsieur Pignon not to serve such a large quantity in the future. They both picked up their sections of the newspaper, Richard, the politics section, and fashion for Lily.  Reading about the latest dress design did not interest in the slightest her but a lady of her position ought to know the latest fashion so as to always be prepared. The distant wailing from Dudley broke the silence.  As if by reflex Lily made a motion to get up, but Richard frowned and said loftily,

"Let Melissa tend to it" 

Lily ducked her head in shame, and resumed eating, trying her best to slow down the process of her cheeks going crimson.

Finally, after what seemed like two hours to Lily, Richard looked up over his newspaper and said a pompous tone that nevertheless conveyed his sincerity,"

"Lily, I must say, James Potter was an excellent choice as a butler,"

Lily glowed, basking in the praise, delighted that she had been able to please her husband. 

"I absolutely agree, and Melissa has been a wonder with Dudley," Lily added.

"Ah yes…" Richard replied distractedly as he turned the page of his newspaper. 

Knowingly full well that he was not interested, Lily nevertheless felt the need to persist. 

"I really do not know what to make of Dudley's sudden appearance; surely Vernon had relatives who would gladly take care of Dudley."  After a moment, she hastily added, "I'm not saying I am not happy to raise Dudley, but… I did not even attend his christening!"

"Yes well, I'm sure we'll sort something out," Richard said vaguely. 

"We'll sort something out," Lily repeated softly to herself.

**I hope you liked it, by the way the whole thing with leaving Dudley on Lily and Richard's doorstep is a spoof of J K Rowling's Harry Potter books, it's only example of my dry sense of humour (Kate), so don't take it too seriously. Please R/R.**

 ~ Kate & Stef


	7. Dealing With Discoveries and Details

Disclaimer: We don't own Lily Evans, James Potter, or any of the other characters belonging to J K Rowling who you'll meet as the story progresses. We do own the characters you don't recognise – unless, of course, you missed some names in the HP books.  We own the plot and the settings, which we want to keep, so please don't steal anything.

A/N Stef's chapter!  For all you Sirius fans out there, there's quite a bit of him in there, as well as an explanation of sorts.  It's in James's PoV (I've discovered that I quite like writing in his PoV) again.  Hope you like it!

Dealing with Discoveries and Details 

James groaned aloud as he heard, yet again, the incessant wailing of Dudley Dursely.  He heard the soft thud of the newly hired nursemaid's footsteps as she hurried across to tend to Dudley, and then the wailing increased in volume.   Realising that he was not about to get to sleep any time soon, James slipped on a dressing gown and made his way to the kitchens.  As he went about getting himself a glass of water, he noticed Sirius, the footman, sitting at the table, staring at it despondently.  James had only talked a little with Sirius, but they were quickly on their way to becoming friends.  

"Is something the matter, Sirius?" James asked as he sat beside the young man.  

"That depends," Sirius replied gloomily.  "How religious are you?"

James blinked.  "As much as anybody," he said at last.  "I go to church as regularly as I am able."

"As religious as Lord Marks?" Sirius asked.

"Why?"

"I don't know if I can tell you," he said at last.  "It's… I think there's something wrong with me.  But I don't want you to think that I'm possessed!"

"I'm not that religious," James responded dryly.  "Madness and malice generally come from inside a person, not from the devil.  I'm asking after you as James, not as Potter-the-butler."

"Thanks," Sirius said, meeting James's eyes. He was a little unnerved to see the fear in them.  "I think," he said, "that I may be a w… a witch."

"Really?" James asked, internally amused.  "I doubt that."

"I… do you think witches should be burned at the stake?  Or incarcerated, anyway?"

"Of course not," James told Sirius briskly.  "Why do you think you're a witch?"

"At least you haven't yet said 'there's no such thing,'" Sirius said.  "Okay.  I'll show you."  He raised a finger of his right hand, and his forehead furrowed as he concentrated.  Suddenly, without warning, a blue spark shot from his finger.  "See?" he asked.  

James was flabbergasted.  "Sirius," he said slowly.  "Do you remember… anything strange happening when you were a child?  Any accidents, perhaps?  Or even an unusual letter?"****

"Not any accidents," he replied.  "I came pretty close sometimes, but I don't think I actually got hurt… even when I fell out of that tree when I was six.  And a letter… nobody writes letters to me, really.  Everyone I know I see everyday."

"No letters at all?" James persisted.  "When you were… eleven, or so?"

"How did you know that?" Sirius asked, defensive.  "Now that I think about it, there was one weird letter when I was about that age.  It had really loopy writing, and was addressed to me, but it was strange.  Mum said it was a joke and chucked them out, but they kept sending more.  I couldn't read, back then; I only taught myself a few years ago.  But then this guy turned up at our front door to give me the letter himself.  Mum made me tell him I wasn't interested… which I wasn't.  I don't want to get involved with crazy people, and Mum needed the money I brought in."  Sirius sighed, as if remembering.  Then he asked sharply, "What does this have to do with… this?" he asked, and shot another blue spark from his finger.  "Although it is quite fun," he added, smiling a little and shooting another spark from his finger.  This one was green.****

"It's possible that you're a wizard," James said at last.  Checking to make sure that there was nobody else in the kitchen, he withdrew his wand and shot a whole volley of gold sparks into the air.  Sirius looked equally fascinated and scared.

"How…" Sirius asked, his eyes wide.  

"It's a long story," James said, suddenly feeling tired.  "We should get to sleep now; we'll be up before seven.  Especially with young Master Dursely bawling.  Why don't we talk about it after our afternoon duties … I'll meet you in the gardens at four, okay?  With Alice."

"Alice?" Sirius asked.  Then he blanched.  "Missus Allgood?  Oh no!  James, you said you were asking as a friend!  She'll fire me!"

"Don't worry, Sirius," James told him, laying a soothing hand on his arm.  "First of all, I am the only one with the power to fire you.  Second of all, Alice can help.  She's in the same boat we are, so to speak.  But before we go to bed – Sirius, you have to promise that you won't tell anyone or show anyone your talents."

"Why?" he asked.  

"I'll explain everything tomorrow.  Promise, at least until we've explained tomorrow."

"Okay," Sirius said.  "Thanks, James."  

"No problem."  James grinned, suddenly.  "You know something?  Despite the work, I like this life better than I liked my last one."

Sirius grinned back.  "Of course you do!  I wasn't a part of the last house you worked in!"  

James laughed.  Perhaps he would tell Sirius the truth, someday.  "Yes, that's it.  Good night, Sirius."

At half past eight the next morning, as James was helping Richard Marks to dress, Richard suddenly said, "Potter, I will be leaving for France this afternoon.  I shall be gone for two weeks.  Will you please pack some bags for me to take on my trip when you have a spare moment this morning?"

James was unsure whether or not he actually _had _a spare moment, but murmured his agreement.

"Good," Richard said decisively.  "The Lady Lily will remain behind to oversee the household, but you, of course, will run things.  She is still unused to being mistress of a large household, so I expect you to see to it that the servants do not take advantage of that fact."

"Of course sir," James replied.

"Good."

He did not get a chance to speak with Alice until past ten o'clock that morning.  He fervently hoped that she would be free that afternoon to speak to Sirius with him, because they really needed to decide what to do. Having an untrained wizard in the house of a strictly religious master was most definitely not a good thing.  

"Alice?" he asked, after the chef had left their meeting.  

"Yes, James?"

"Did the ministry mention anything about Sirius Black, the footman?"

"Nothing.  We're the only graduates of Hogwarts, the Suffolk Academy, and Beauxbatons here.  The ministry did not see fit to run checks on the other schools of magic – too expensive.  Why, do you think he's a wizard?" she asked, a little alarmed. 

"An untrained wizard," James told her, rather grimly.  "And that could be very dangerous."

Alice paled.  "Very dangerous indeed.  You said Lord Marks was going to be out of the country for the next two weeks?"

"Yes.  Hopefully, that will give us enough time to convince him of the necessity of secrecy.  And to teach him a little control."

"Yes.  He must buy a wand… if he can begin to focus his concentration with that, he will gain enough control.  We must owl Professor Dumbledore, and get his advice."

"Definitely.  Anyway, I told Sirius we would meet him at four this afternoon.  Do you have any plans?"

"Not anymore," Alice told him grimly.  "Four it is.  Where do we meet?" 


	8. Duty Bound

**Disclaimer: We don't own Lily Evans, James Potter, or any of the other characters belonging to J K Rowling who you'll meet as the story progresses. We do own the characters you don't recognise – unless, of course, you missed some names in the HP books. We own the plot and the settings, which we want to keep, so please don't steal anything.******

**A/N: Hi y'all! Here is chapter 8 at long last. The good news is my exams are over so now I have more time to write during my summer holidays. Anyways I hope this chapter was worth the wait, thanks to all our loyal reviewers.**

**Duty Bound**

The old grandfather clock struck three.

"Mr. Potter, you have a guest waiting in the Servants' Hall," Sirius quietly informed James.

"Please inform him I will join him in a moment," James said.

As James walked into the Servants' Hall he caught sight of a brunette with her back to him, slowly sipping a cup of tea.

"My lady, how may I be of service?" James politely enquired as he walked into the room.

"For a start you could explain what you are doing here," Rebecca replied, raising one eyebrow disdainfully. "Surprised to see me? Thought you would be able to lower your status without the bat of an eyelid? Well the game is up, how dare you _pretend _to be of a lower class?!" Rebecca asked harshly, her voice rising as she spoke. "Do you have no shame? What does that make me, the butler's wife?"

James closed his eyes, praying she that she would disappear, and then opened them. Unfortunately, she was still there, and glaring at him.

"You were the one who left me," James said calmly.

"First you spend all my money on bloody horse races and have the nerve to blame it on _me_! Then you leave me penniless and now you do _this_!" Rebecca spat, her voice rising even more.

"Rebecca, I will not stand for this…" James said feebly.

"I'll tell you what I won't stand for! I won't stand for this shame! You have ruined my reputation! Have you heard what people are saying about us?!" she screeched.

"Rebecca please…"

"Oh well, I guess you haven't since you've been holed up here serving Lord and Lady muck! Well let me enlighten you… 'Rebecca Potter drove her husband insane; he reached such a low point that he is now working as a butler at the Marks estate'. You know where I heard that? I heard it at the hairdressers! Two women were gossiping like crows, I couldn't help overhearing, thank goodness I had one of those blow-dryers over my head so they didn't recognise me…" Rebecca rambled on, "And that's how I heard about you working here. How could you do this to me?" she asked, bursting into tears.

"I needed to earn a living; I was in debt," James replied through gritted teeth.

"So what were you intending on doing, working here and forgetting about your dear old wife that you left destitute?" Rebecca said quizzically.

"Oh Rebecca be _reasonable_! In actual fact it was _your_ choice to divorce _me_!" James told her firmly.

James' stern tone forced Rebecca to cease weeping and instead she let out a few pitiful sobs. For the first time in her life Rebecca actually looked genuinely miserable, not just pretending to be upset to manipulate James into giving her what she wanted, as she had done many times in the past. The vulnerability portrayed across Rebecca's plain but excessively made-up features struck a chord in James' heart, for he had never seen this side of Rebecca.

"I will be receiving my payment at the end of the month; I intend to pay off my debts and send you money. To which address shall I send it?" James asked softly.

Rebecca silently scribbled her address onto a piece of paper and handed it to James. They held eye contact for what seemed like ten minutes and James broke it eventually by looking away, Rebecca's lips curled up in a triumphant half smile. She drained the remains of her tea and James half bowed as she showed herself out.

"Mr. Potter, my lady would like to too see you in the morning room," Melissa informed him, a sympathetic look on her face.

"Mr. Potter please have a seat," Lily said civilly as James entered the room and bowed formally.

James proceeded to sit, rigidly upright on the sofa to the right of the desk at which Lily was sitting.

"May I please enquire as to whom your guest was, Mr. Potter?"

James breathed deeply, _may as well tell the truth; she was bound to find out sometime, _James thought to himself.

"My ex-wife Rebecca decided to pay an unexpected visit," James replied blandly. "And when exactly were you intending to grace me with this knowledge?" Lily asked in a voice that could be easily mistaken for Professor McGonagall's. James winced. "I am deeply sorry my lady that you had to find out this way." 

"Are you aware that I was sitting in this very room minding my own business yet I was still able to hear your wife's shouting?" Lily did not need to raise her voice to convey the extent of her displeasure.

James simply bowed his head, answering would insinuate disrespect.

"Mr. Potter, you are a good worker and after having to go through a lengthy interview procedure to fill the butler position in this household, I am not prepared to have to do it again. So I propose that I will turn a blind eye on this, on the condition that _that woman_ does not set foot on this property ever again.

"This is unacceptable behaviour and neither Lord Marks or I will tolerate it. Mr. Potter, I am giving you fair warning; if I so much as see or hear your ex-wife on this property I will expect your letter of resignation. I hope I make myself clear. You are excused."

James bowed and exited.

As he walked out of the room he felt anger surge up inside himself. He was not angry towards Lady Marks but towards Rebecca. She had nearly cost him his job.

Four chimes could be heard, signalling the servants' tea, which was to be taken in the servants' hall. The very thought of having to return to the "scene of the crime," so to speak, sickened James.

Back in the Morning Room, Lily pondered as to whether she had been too harsh. _Well, is it unacceptable behaviour and I must be firm or else all my servants will be walking all over me. I am just as capable as Richard is to run this household… maybe even more so, _Lily thought to herself, slightly ashamed of thinking that, even though her initial thought did bear some truth.

_The next day_

"Now Sirius, have you ever seen one of these?" James asked, holding out a wand.

"Yes James, I see them lying around all over there place, there's one right there," said Sirius with a undertone of sarcasm, pointing to a twig on the ground.

Alice groaned, realising how long it would take to train Sirius to be a competent wizard.

"No Sirius, this is not a twig, this is a wand," James said patiently. "Us magical folk use these to perform magic. It is very useful, daily chores can be completed in a matter of seconds at the flick of a wand."****

Sirius listened intently, this was all foreign to him and it really did intrigue him.

"So, when will I get one of 'em wands?" Sirius asked excitedly.

"Now, now, don't be so hasty, you haven't even learnt how to use one yet," Alice Allgood reprimanded.

Sirius ducked his head out of respect and continued to look on in awe as James demonstrated a few simple tasks that could be fulfilled through the use of a wand.

James started with the _Wingardium Leviosa_; he proceeded to lift a leaf from the ground and it hovered a few feet up in the air.

"Amazing!"

"You haven't seen nothing yet," Alice said with a smile on her face.

"Sirius, show Mrs. Allgood what you showed me last night," James instructed Sirius.

Alice watched expectantly.

Sirius raised his right forefinger and a blue spark shot out of it.

"Remarkable," Alice murmured, "I've never seen wandless magic since…well since my Hogwarts days."

"What's Hogwarts?" Sirius asked curiously.

"Hogwarts – School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It is a secondary school for eleven to eighteen year olds," James said proudly, casting his mind back to his days at Hogwarts.

Sirius looked slightly morose, "I guess I missed the opportunity," he said, referring to the unusual letters and the visit by the wizard.

Noting his gloominess, James continued to show Sirius more magic charms and spells. As Alice Allgood transfigured a twig into a book, with Sirius looked on enviously, he shouted "Accio!" and the book flew into his outstretched hand. They chuckled to themselves. Thankfully, Alice and James had had the discretion to put a protective ward around where they were standing so as to conceal them from everyone else. It was as if they were in an invisible bubble; the other servants and Lily would be unable to see them or anything they where doing. Alice showed Sirius a few spells that would make his life easier, such as candle magic; a spell with would light a candle and make them float in mid air, and _Scourgify_, a spell that would clean things quickly, _Lumos _and _Nox, _which would extinguish the light from the wand. They also taught him the Unbreakable charm and _Reparo_, which repairs damage objects. _Those will come in handy,_ Sirius thought to himself. After all, he wasn't the most graceful person in the world. Sirius was also shown the Severing charm, which would allow him to cut almost anything with ease. Sirius would have continued learning magic all afternoon had he been given the chance, but time would not allow it. James was keen to see Sirius' enthusiasm and thought to himself that Sirius would make a good wizard soon enough.

"It's nearly time for tea," James said after looking at his pocket watch. "Sirius, it is of great importance that you refrain from telling or showing anyone your or my or Mrs. Allgood's talent I am sure you are fully aware of what will happen if someone is found out to be a witch or a wizard. The only times you should practise magic is in either Mrs. Allgood's or my presence whilst you are under a concealing charm," James instructed gravely.

Sirius nodded earnestly.

"Okay, Sirius, you go first," James told him, trusting that Sirius would go back to the house without attracting unnecessary attention to himself.

"We have got to teach him about the dangers…" Alice Allgood trailed off.

"All in good time," James replied simply, fully aware of Alice's concern, but feeling that it was unnecessary to scare Sirius by informing him of the unforgivable curses.

With that, James quickly undid the concealing charm and they parted in different directions, staggering their arrivals and departures so as not to attract attention to themselves.

**The next chapter will probably be up in a couple of weeks, as always please R/R. **

**Kate & Stef**


	9. Emotional Turmoil

**Disclaimer: We don't own Lily Evans, James Potter, or any of the other characters belonging to J K Rowling who you'll meet as the story progresses. We do own the characters you don't recognise – unless, of course, you missed some names in the HP books. We own the plot and the settings, which we want to keep, so please don't steal anything.**

**A/N Stef's chapter! I'm feeling quite proud of myself; this is the first Author's Note I've written in forever where I can honestly say that it's early and longer than usual. So I'm happy. I'm sure there are other things I should be saying here, but I can't remember them and I'm sure you don't want to be reading my rambling anyway. Here's the chapter!**

**Emotional Turmoil**

Lily let out a shriek of frustration completely out of character with the prim and proper lady she generally was. Dudley, while cute by day (while he was asleep) would notstop screaming at night. She had been awake for the past two hours thanks the squalling of _that baby_ and was rapidly becoming sick of the child. She was serious contemplating a silencing charm, but realised mournfully that not only was it unethical, but it was also illegal. _Not that the ministry has to find out… _a tiny voice whispered in the back of Lily's mind. She squashed the thought, determinedly ignoring the screams from the room down the hall.

Five minutes later Lily stifled another shriek in her pillow. _That's it!_ She decided. Jumping out of bed and throwing on a suitable dressing gown Lily made her way to the baby's room. The new nurse was practically crying, and Lily had the feeling that if she was not walking Dudley up and down she would have been wringing her hands.

"I'm sorry to wake you, my lady," she said distraughtly, "but Dudley won't calm down! I've tried everything, my lady, I'm really sorry."

"Let me take him," Lily told her, trying not to snap. "Perhaps he will respond better to his aunt." The nurse bobbed her head and handed the howling infant over to Lily.

"I'll wait outside for you, lady," she said, obviously nervous in the presence of her mistress.

"Thank you," Lily told her, and the poor girl fled. _She must think I'm going to fire her,_ Lily thought ruefully. _It's not her fault this baby's a nightmare_. Even in Lily's arms, Dudley was still screaming. _Time to put Madam Pomfrey's seventh year lessons into action_, Lily decided. She took out her wand and sent a locking charm to the door to make sure that nobody would walk in on her practising magic; that would be difficult to explain to the muggle staff. Adding a silencing charm for good measure, Lily replaced Dudley in the cradle and then looked down at him. Perhaps music would work? With a flick of her wand, the room was filled with a soft lullaby. Dudley's cries lessened, but did not go away. She tried a calming charm next – technically illegal on muggles, but Dudley was so young that he would not realise, and since he was in her care and she was a witch Lily felt it was justified. The combination of the charm and the lullaby sent Dudley to sleep, and with a satisfied smile she stopped the lullaby and removed the silencing and locking spells. Tiptoeing carefully, Lily opened the door and exited the room. The nurse's eyes were wide.

"My lady!" she gasped. "He… he's not crying!"

"No, Olivia, he is asleep for the moment. With luck he will sleep the night through."

"Thank you, my lady! I had no idea what to do, I was afraid…" Olivia suddenly seemed to realise that she was babbling in front of her mistress, for she suddenly blushed and stopped herself. Her eyes to the floor she said, "Forgive me, my lady. I thank you again."

"It is nothing, Olivia. I believe I shall retire, now. Good night." With a warm smile for the baby's nurse, Lily went back to her bedroom. Propriety be damned, at least this way she would get a good night's sleep.

Lily had reached her room and was opening the door when Dudley's bawling filled the house yet again. With a weary sigh, Lily decided to make herself a cup of tea.

In the kitchen, Lily realised, Dudley's cries were inaudible. Filing away that information for future use, Lily eyed the kettle sitting on top of the stove. Thanks to Richard's fascination with modern technology, they had a stove. Regardless, Lily was reluctant to spend time heating up the contraption. Lighting the fire would take time and effort, and although Lily knew she could easily call a maid to assist her, she was hesitant to wake them. If she wanted her household staff to like and respect her, waking them up at two in the morning was probably not a good idea. Looking around, making sure that nobody was coming; she took out her wand and muttered a heating spell. Immediately, steam began issuing from the kettle's spout. Smiling smugly to herself, Lily poured the boiling water into the teapot and left the contents to stew. Humming, she turned to the icebox, filled with ice to keep its contents cool as its name suggested. Muggles really were backwards with this sort of thing, but Lily supposed she would have to get used to it. Taking out the bottle of milk, she poured some into the bottom of her cup.

As she went to replace the milk, Lily heard the creaking of the door. She spun around, to see James Potter at the door.

"I beg your pardon, my lady," he said softly, a look on surprise on his face. "I did not mean to startle you. Um… good night, my lady."

"No, no," Lily said, suddenly feeling embarrassed. She ought to have called for a maid after all – the kitchen was one of the servants' parts of the house, and she should not be making them uncomfortable. "I just wanted a cup of tea; I'm sorry to have invaded your kitchen."

James smiled awkwardly. "It is yours, my lady. I apologise again, I had thought you were asleep."

"Please, don't," Lily, said, feeling awkward herself. "I'll just make myself a cup of tea and I'll leave… I should have called a maid, I know, but I did not want to disturb anybody." Noticing his reluctance, Lily added impulsively, "The tea is probably ready by now. Would you like some?"

"I… yes, thank you," he finally said.

Surprised and slightly embarrassed to be caught out of place, Lily busied herself with making the tea. Suddenly, James was behind her.

"Forgive me, my lady," he murmured. "I had forgotten for a moment… let me make your tea for you." Lily thanked him and withdrew, seating herself at the coarse table as James made the tea. She gazed at his back, admiring the fit of his shirt, and his… _no!_ She told herself sternly. _I'm married and he's the _butler! _My mother would be outraged, _she thought ruefully. At that moment, James turned around with the two cups of tea.

"Here you go, my lady. I shall leave you now,"

"Thank you, Mister Potter," she replied, struck by guilt. "Please don't go because of me," she added, partly from guilt but mostly from the sudden loneliness that threatened to overcome her. Struck by inspiration, she added, "I fear I do not know you very well, a situation I ought to remedy if you are to be the head of my household staff. Perhaps we should get to know one another better now?"

James looked uncertain for a moment, but then he sat at the table across from Lily. "Of course, my lady. What is it you wish to know?"

"Tell me of your childhood," Lily replied.

"I… there is not much to know," James said, looking cautious. "I was raised in the house of a middle class family. I attended a boarding school in the North for most of my childhood, at my parents' insistence. I then married, but the match with my wife was not a good one, as I am afraid you heard yesterday. We divorced, and I took this position in order to support her."

"You divorced?" Lily asked, eyes wide. "That is unthinkable! Your wife must have been…" she trailed off, realising what she was saying.

"She is a strong-minded woman," James admitted. "My parents did not take our divorce well."

"Understandable," Lily nodded in agreement. She suddenly felt a wave of fatigue come over her, and, glancing at her watch, noticed that it was coming up to three in the morning. "I believe I will take my leave, Mister Potter," Lily said, rising. "Perhaps we will continue this conversation another time."

James rose as she did, and said, "Of course, my lady. Good night."

On Sunday afternoon, having made sure that everything in the house seemed to be running smoothly, James took £3 from his monthly pay and set out to find Rebecca. He was approaching the upcoming confrontation with foreboding; Rebecca's last pair of shoes alone had cost him £8 – almost two months worth of James's present wage. She would not be pleased to find out that a butler's salary meant she could not live in style. Still, she had divorced him, so money would be her own problem now.

His internal pep talk having only slightly assuaged his fears, James looked around, trying to find the number five that Rebecca had assured him was where she lived. Strangely, the street seemed to be filled with shops, not houses, and number five was… surrounded by policemen. James frowned _What had Rebecca done now? _

As James drew closer, he saw that number five was a boutique, specialising in shoes and handbags. James looked at it, uncertain; while Rebecca spent most of her day in shops such as these, she surely could not actually live in one. Could she? James approached a policeman, who did not seem to be doing anything but standing around.

"Could you tell me what's going on, please?" he asked politely.

"None of your business," was the policeman's reply. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You involved?" he asked abruptly.

"I… no," James said hurriedly. "I'm just looking for my ex-wife. Is Rebecca Potter here anywhere?"

"No Rebecca Potter," the man replied, still eyeing James suspiciously. "But Rebecca Lupin's disappeared. Along with Geoffrey Jones and all of the money. I think you'd better come with me." James felt a headache coming on.

Inside the shop was a flurry of activity. Policemen were coming and going up the stairs at the back of the shop that apparently lead to an apartment overhead. James was propelled to a room in the back of the shop, which turned out to be a small sitting room of sorts where a couple of confused clerks were talking to policemen. James' policeman was towing James by his elbow to a particularly tall man at the back, who was looking around the room with an air of impatience. He focussed on James.

"What's this, then?" He asked. "Does he know where they are?"

"He says he's Rebecca Lupin's ex-husband, Inspector. I thought you might want to question him."

"Yes, I do. Thank you, I'll take this from here." The inspector looked at James appraisingly. "Your ex-wife, Rebecca, seems to have disappeared, along with Geoffrey Jones, the manager of this shop. They took a considerable amount of money belonging to the partners who had invested in this joint venture. Missing, as well, are three pairs of shoes and two rather expensive designer handbags. What do you know of the matter?" The inspector asked bluntly.

"Nothing," James answered honestly. "You… she… oh, God." James sank wearily into the couch behind him, ignoring the inspector's frown at him for using the Lord's name in vain. "She came to visit me last week," James told the inspector. "We had a bit of an argument. Then she gave me the number of this shop as her home address and told me to bring her money here. I came today to settle the matter, and I found… this." He stared at the floor. "I… had not expected anything like this. Rebecca is fond of living well, but I did not think she would stoop to thievery and embezzlement." James sighed.

"You think it more likely that she would be a thief than a victim of kidnap?" The inspector asked gruffly.

Feeling slightly guilty, James nodded his head. "She is a very… strong-minded woman," he said. _Nobody would _want _to kidnap her_, he added mentally.

"That is what her co-workers have been saying," the inspector admitted.

"Wait… my wife _works _here?" James asked. "She told me she lives here!"

"She does," the inspector told James, disapproval etched on his face. "Apparently, she was using the spare bedroom in Mister Jones's apartment. _Very _improper," he added.

"She… oh. I had no idea." _Rebecca?_ James thought. _Working? What on earth with happen next?_

"Apparently. She has a number of secrets, it seems. Very well then. Give me your address and I shall contact you when we find out where your wife is. I suspect you will need to be questioned further, in her trial if nothing else. Expect us to contact you soon."

James thanked him, head still pounding, and stood to leave. He would pay a trip to Diagon Alley next, he decided. He was in desperate need of some headache potion. Muggle medicine had nothing on magic, and the way his head was feeling there was a distinct possibility that a goblin had taken up residence in his head and was mining his skull for minerals. It was all Rebecca's fault, James decided. He had never disliked his wife more than he did at that moment, and the woman was not even there.

As if the powers that be had decided to make James's day even worse, the moment he stepped out of the boutique he was surrounded by a group of reporters.

"James Potter! Is it true that your wife ran away with the boutique owner?"

"Did she embezzle the money?"

"Do you feel guilty that divorcing her caused her to do this?"

"Are you ashamed that you cast your wife aside?"

"How could you force her to go to these lengths?"

_And the feminists are complaining that the media was biased against women_, James thought morosely.

Aloud, he said, "I do not know what has happened to my _ex-wife,_" he stressed, "but I am assured that everything will be cleared up soon. Good day to you." He calmly walked away and into a nearby public toilet where he Disapparated with a profound sigh of relief. He could not help but grin at the thought of the reporters waiting impatiently for him outside.

When James arrived back at the house of Lord and Lady Marks, he felt decidedly more cheerful. Rebecca was on the run from the law, so he would not have to face her again. He had more money than he had been hoping for, his headache was gone, and his pockets were comfortably full of a selection of wizarding sweets he had brought to share with Alice and Sirius – for educational purposes, of course.

He came into the house through the back entrance, intent on taking a cup of tea to his rooms and enjoying his afternoon off with a good book. The moment he stepped inside, however, he was confronted with an almost hysterical Melissa and an anxious-looking Alice.

"Oh Mister Potter! We were so worried! The newspaper came, and we saw the article, and we remember you saying that _that woman _was your wife, and oh it's all so terrible! Are you okay? Do the police think you're involved? Do they suspect any of us?"

James sent a panicked look in Alice's direction and awkwardly laid a hand on Melissa's shoulders. The girl burst into tears. Alice suddenly looked amused, and she turned around, pouring a spoonful of liquid from an unmarked vial into a teacup before filling the cup with tea. James, curious as to what she was doing, was occupied with the crying female in front of him.

"Everything is fine, Melissa," James said, stroking her arm uncomfortably. "They asked me a few questions, and that was it. There is really nothing to be upset about. Don't worry yourself." Alice wordlessly handed Melissa the cup of tea, which the maid took with small 'thank you' and a loud sniff.

"Drink it, my dear," Alice advised. "It will make you feel better." Then she mouthed, at James, "and you."

Melissa obediently drank, and seemed to calm a little. "I'm sorry," Melissa said tearfully. "I was just so worried."

"That's quite all right," James said, and took his arm away from the slightly more composed girl. "Thank you for your concern."

"The Lady will be wanting to change into a new gown for tea," Alice gently reminded Melissa. "I believe she has some friends joining her. Perhaps you should go and assist her."

"I… yes, thank you Missus Allgood," Melissa said. With a last tearful glance at James, she ran off. James wearily sat down at the table.

"What on earth was all that about?" he asked the housekeeper.

"She was a bit distraught," Alice noted calmly.

"That is a slight understatement," James replied, smiling a little. "What did you put in her tea?"

"Calming compound, mixed with a slight pain reliever," Alice replied.

"Pain reliever?" James asked, confused.

"Nothing you need to know about. How was your trip to your wife?"

"Not very good. I suppose if it is in the newspaper you will find out soon enough. She has disappeared, along with the manager of a small shop in which she apparently works and a rather large sum of money."

"That must have been a shock," Alice commented.

"Just a little," James replied. "I paid a visit to Diagon Alley as well. We should take Sirius there for a wand at some point. I brought back some wizarding sweets. Perhaps the three of us could share them when he comes off duty."

"Thank you, James," she replied. "Now, why don't you go and enjoy the rest of your afternoon off while I call Monsieur Pignon to help me with tea."

"I'll try," James said wearily, and headed off to his rooms. His headache was coming back again. _I should have chosen a job with a travelling circus_, he thought grumpily _Life would have been so much easier.___

**A/N II - Because there are things I forgot, as I realised all of four hours after posting this chapter. I'm going to be in the UK for the next five weeks, which means it's extremely unlikely that there will be another chapter in that time. Possible, but unlikely. Expect another chapter in mid September, or thereabouts. Have a good summer, for everybody still reading. Please review!**


	10. Loose Ends

**Disclaimer: We don't own Lily Evans, James Potter, or any of the other characters belonging to J K Rowling who you'll meet as the story progresses. We do own the characters you don't recognise – unless, of course, you missed some names in the HP books. We own the plot and the settings, which we want to keep, so please don't steal anything.**

**A/N Hey, Kate here, many apologies for the lateness, did any of you really notice though? This chapter is short compared to the other chapters, it took a while to write because it required quite a lot of editing plus Stef and I have just started I.B. Just as a warning, we might be posting less regularly from now on because we have larger workloads. Thanks for your patience, enjoy!**

**Loose Ends**

"My lady, a telegram addressed to you has arrived," James informed Lily, who was sitting alone at the large dining room table eating her breakfast.

"Thank you Mr. Potter," she replied, giving him the slightest of smiles, and gratefully took it from his extended hand. James bowed with an equally small smile and promptly exited the room, allowing Lily to read the telegram in private.

_"Dearest Lily STOP I have decided to cut short my trip in France upon receiving information of an harsh blizzard STOP I will be arriving home early tomorrow morning STOP Please ensure everything is in order upon my arrival STOP I look forward to the fete on Saturday STOP Lord Richard Marks," _it read.

James continued to smile as he made his way back to the kitchens. Since Richards' departure, Lily and James had been meeting in the kitchens virtually every night. It was not something either had initially planned, for they were both extremely aware of the risks and consequences that could occur if they were found in each other's company. Both were following their independent impulses to meet one another. While in the secrecy of the other's company slowly and surely their guards were let down. Lily, rather naively, thought that the other members of the household were unaware of their nightly conversations. However, James had suspicions that Ms. Allgood along with a few other servants may be aware something was going on. This on the whole made him wary but he did not want to alarm Lily. Also this fuelled him throughout the day and made him look forward to the next night with Lily. _It wasn't as if he was courting Lily; that would be un-thought of. He was merely forming a platonic relationship with his employers' wife._ James tried to reassure himself, but by stating it made it seem very, very wrong. _This must end before it goes too far, _James resolved.

Since Richard was returning early next morning, Lily decided to play it safe and forgo her nightly conversation with James. She considered sending him a note, but cast that thought aside when she realised that there was a large possibility it could be intercepted. She could tell him… but then again, their conversations had always previously been shrouded in the dark of night. Sighing, she decided to just not show up. She hoped he would understand that it simply would not have worked out. _If only I could let him now how much I truly appreciated our time together, but really there was no way of communicating in anything but a professional manner with all these servants around,_ Lily thought helplessly.

To her left was the newspaper. Usually, in Lord Marks' presence, she only read the fashion and "lady-like" sections. However, with him away she was free to read the whole newspaper. On page two an interesting article caught her attention. Apparently there had been a couple of murders recently; the article suggested a serial killer. Well, it was no surprise, what with the huge class differences. Having people in one country feeling so alienated from one another was a stupid way to run a country, not that Lily could do anything about it. There was a great deal wrong with modern life. Lily quickly pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. She now had more pressing issues to attend to.

Lily made her way to the Morning Room where she was to meet Alice and Monsieur Pignon to discuss the menu for luncheon and dinner as well as fête preparations.

"Alice, have all the invitations been sent out?" Lily inquired.

"Yes, my lady," Alice replied compliantly.

"Please read out the names of those who shall not be attending," Lily instructed.

Even if Alice found the request to be slightly surprising she concealed it well so as not to offend Lady Lily.

"Sir and Lady Miller, Sir and Lady Benoir, Sir Alderton…," Alice rattled off a list of approximately 12 names. "…and we have not received a response from Lady Potter, my Lady," Alice concluded.

"Lady Potter?" Lily asked with a hint of anxiety in her tone of voice.

"Yes my Lady, Remus Lupin's sister, Lady Rebecca Potter," Alice replied, carefully avoiding having to bring James into the conversation.

Lily felt the need to pursue the issue but she waited until Monsieur Pignon had excused himself before asking Alice to elaborate.

"And who is her husband?" Lily asked softly.

"She used to be married to…," Alice paused and looked down at her sheet of paper feigning checking the name, even though she had the name etched in her mind.

"…James Potter?" Lily asked tentatively, not wanting to hear the answer.

"Yes, my Lady."

"You are excused," Lily whispered. Her throat suddenly felt dry.

_James Potter is a common name, _Lily rationalised to herself but somehow she knew the butler she had hired a month ago was the same James as the man who had once been married to Rebecca. Everything fitted like a jigsaw puzzle. As a matter of fact James had mentioned Rebecca when he was explaining to her who was the inappropriate guest was. _This cannot be happening,_ Lily thought in despair, _what am I to do, should I tell Lord Marks the truth or should I make up an excuse for James to be dismissed or should I turn a blind eye? _Lily felt inclined to carry out the latter; _there is really no reason to dismiss James, he was doing his job to an excellent degree, he was not engaging in inappropriate behaviour with any of the other servants. _Lily chose to conveniently 'forget' their nightly conversations. For now she would keep James's true station in life a secret. But she would most _definitely_ be sure to bring it up in their future conversations.

**Well I hope this was worth the wait, as you may have guessed this chapter is pretty much a connecting chapter. Be sure to come back and read the next few chapters, things are going to heat up! Please write any of your questions in your reviews and we'll answer them at the beginning of the next chapter. **


	11. In the Dark of Night

**A/N A couple of questions to answer, first of all. Lily went to Hogwarts throughout out the year, and she went to various finishing schools during the summer… I think it's explained in the first chapter, maybe the second. And we did put AU in the summary and the very first A/N… sorry if you missed it. Ummm I think that's all the questions I can answer without giving plot away. Here's the next chapter, thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, and… yes. Enjoy!**

_In the Dark of Night_

There was a rap at the side door leading to the kitchens. James, enjoying a cup of tea before his afternoon duties, stood to answer the door when he saw that Alice was busy helping M. Pignon peel potatoes. Outside stood two police officers, looking solemn.

"Mr Potter?" the first asked.

"Yes?" James replied, feeling slightly worried.

"We have news of your ex-wife," the second man said.

"Oh… what have you discovered?" James asked, recalling with a start, his day off, two weeks ago now, when he had turned up at the boutique to find it surrounded by policemen.

"Your wife's diary," the first said, his voice full of scorn.

"Ex-wife," James corrected absently. "What… what was in it?"

The policemen laughed. "Essentially, something along the lines of 'the plans are set. Geoffrey will take the money tomorrow and we will flee to Italy.' Your wife – pardon me, ex-wife – it seems, did not think it necessary to hide the evidence. However," and he frowned, "we have not caught her. It seems that she and her manager went to France. The French police tracked her as far as a hotel room in Marseilles, at which point they seemed to vanish into thin air. From the evidence gathered so far, we believe that they took a boat across the channel and docked in Calais. They then travelled up to Marseilles, where they booked into the hotel room. They left the next day, and we have not been able to track them since. The French police believe that they have left the country, and, I suspect, they travelled to Italy as Rebecca's diary suggested."

"Is there any chance of catching them?"

"Regretfully, no. The Italian police are not particularly cooperative," he said, frowning.

"Oh. Well, thank you for telling me. If you discover anything else, please let me know. Will you need me to testify in court?"

"It's doubtful," the policeman replied candidly. "We already have a warrant for her arrest, but even if we do catch her you're likely to be considered a biased witness. Still, we'll keep you informed."

"Thank you, again, then. Would you like a cup of tea?" They looked tempted, but eventually declined with regretful shakes of their heads. They left, and James shut the door slowly.

"Good thing you divorced her then, James?" Alice asked, in an attempt to cheer him up.

"I suppose so," he said morosely. "Still, I feel that it's in some way my fault. I knew what kind of person she was, but…" he sighed. Then he said, "I think I might go and take over from the doormen for a bit. I'll see you later, Alice."

"Before you go James," Alice said softly. "I know you probably don't need more bad news, but… well, the Lady asked about you today."

"About me?" James asked, confused and a little alarmed.

"Well, about Rebecca. She… knows you were once married. And that you're divorced."

"Damn." Alice smiled a little, and James blushed. "Sorry, Alice… I beg your pardon. Ohh goodness, she's going to… I don't know what she'll do."

"All you can do is wait and find out," Alice said sympathetically. "I wouldn't worry. She's a fair lady, is our Lady Lily."

"I know."

At eleven o'clock that evening, despite all her good intentions, Lily found herself sneaking down to the kitchens. She had a number of things to ask James, and if she did not ask tonight she would have to wait until Lord Marks left again, which might not be for another month. She snorted, imagining her husband's reaction if he found out she was sneaking down to the kitchens every night to talk with the butler. She would just have to be very careful.

When she arrived James was already there, a cup of tea waiting for her on the table. She spared him a smile and sat, facing him, before saying, "I think you have some things to say to me."

James winced. "I'm sorry, my lady, it's just that…"

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Don't apologise, Mr Potter. Just tell me why I shouldn't have fired you this afternoon upon learning of the lies you told me."

James winced again. Recently, Lily had been calling him by his first name. This revert to propriety did not bode well. He sighed. "I've never lied to you Lily," he said earnestly. "There are a number of things I haven't said, but I have _never_ lied about my relationship with my ex-wife."

"What happened, James?" Lily asked softly. He almost sighed in relief. She was willing to hear him out.

"My parents and the Lupins arranged our marriage…" he said. Lily gasped.

"Wha… what did you just say?"

"That my marriage was arranged…" James repeated, confused.

"No, no," she protested. "With whom was it arranged?"

"Rebecca," James replied, "Rebecca Lupin."

"Oh… oh…" Lily took a deep, calming breath. "Do… do you know Remus?" she asked at last.

"Yes," James replied, brow furrowed. "He's my ex-wife's brother. We went to school together…" James trailed off, his eyes widening. "How do _you _know Remus?"

"We also went to school together," Lily replied weakly. "Do you happen to know what a muggle is?" she said, asking the age old question.

"I do," James said, and then, "And I thought you were one of them." James suddenly began laughing. "I must be blind," he said. "Lily Evans. Head Girl 1903 through 1904."

"James Potter," Lily said, smiling ruefully, "same year. I spent that entire year sitting next to you at the Head table, no wonder you looked familiar."

"I don't know _why _I didn't recognise you before."

"We didn't really talk much," Lily reminded him. "We were from different social circles and had completely different friends. In fact, I don't think I _ever_ talked to you, except for that first day in Dumbledore's office."

"It's ridiculous," James said.

"It is. Modern society at its best," Lily replied sarcastically. Then she let out a laugh, a real, happy laugh. "If only my parents could see me now, sitting in my dressing gown at the kitchen table talking to my butler, a wizard." She smiled at him, openly. "Right. Well, now you need to fill in all the gaps you haven't told me."

"It's a long story," James warned her, "We could be here a while."

"That's okay," Lily replied, sipping her tea. "His lordship returns home tomorrow, so we won't be able to meet each other for a while."

James opened his mouth, thought better of what he had been going to say, and closed it again. "Of course, Lily. Well, I suppose I should start at the beginning. My dad really was a hemp trader. Still is, as far as I know…"

James told her the story of his childhood, growing up in a middle-class home, his mother frequently sick and his father too busy with work. Not wealthy enough to afford a governess, James had spent most of his time with the servants. When he went to Hogwarts, his parents arranged a marriage with Remus Lupin's squib sister, for nobody of her own social standing would deign to marry a squib. He told her of Rebecca's spending habits, of his gradual descent into bankruptcy, and finally of his divorce and decision to go into the muggle world to make his living, away from the scandal of the wizarding world.

"It was all over the Prophet," James said at last. "I'm surprised you didn't see."

"I had to give up the wizarding world after I graduated," Lily reluctantly admitted. "I married a muggle as I promised my parents I would… that was my price for going to Hogwarts. Settle down like a good muggle daughter with a man of nobility and prestige, and begin making babies." Lily blushed, suddenly aware that she had probably said too much. James, however, just made a comforting sound.

"It's getting late," Lily said after a while. "I'll have to get up early in the morning to greet his lordship."

"Why do you call him that?" James asked suddenly. Then he blushed. "I'm sorry, my Lady, I had no right…"

"Stop it, James," Lily told him. "You've been calling me Lily all evening. When we're here… down here at night… you're more of a friend than anything else. Don't… please don't be my butler right now. I don't think I could stand it." Again feeling that she had said too much, Lily was silent.

"Of course, Lily."

"I really should go," Lily said softly. She reached out, grasped his hands, and squeezed them in a silent goodbye. "Good night, James."

"Good night, Lily." It was then he realised that she had skilfully avoided his question about her husband. James went to bed feeling thoughtful.


	12. Revelations

**Disclaimer: We don't own Lily Evans, or any other characters belonging to J K Rowling you will meet as the story progresses. We do own the plot, settings, other characters which we want to keep, so please, don't steal it. R/R!**

**A/N: Kate here, many apologies for not updating sooner. First the reason was because I had too much schoolwork...IB sucks! Then I wrote the latter half of this chapter and got writer's block! Hopefully it was worth the wait…at least I'm not like JK Rowling…I only make you wait a month or so! **

**Revelations**

James sat in the Housekeeper's Room, or the 'Pug's Parlour,' with Alice, Monsieur Pignon, and Melissa, having pudding and tea and coffee after the servants' lunch, as was the custom. After the polite conversation about their daily duties and the weather died down, silence descended. It was not an awkward silence which James had been accustomed to when he was with Rebecca, but more of a tranquil moment of reflection, each servant deep in thought about his or her purpose in life. James had many things on his mind; he was unaware of the frown on his forehead until he noticed Alice looking at him inquiringly. Monsieur Pignon finished his cup of coffee and bade them farewell, Melissa followed his lead and they both left the room.

James could feel Alice looking at him, waiting patiently for him to explain what was bothering him.

"Alice, please could you call Sirius in here, I have something to say that concerns both of you," James said evenly.

While Alice was gone, James cast a spell on the room to make it soundproof so that no one would be able to eavesdrop.

After Alice had returned with Sirius, James checked that the door was locked, took a breath and began,

"I have something to ask you, you have every right to say no, I am in no way forcing you to comply…"

Sirius shifted in his seat, but said nothing as James continued.

"I have found out that there is someone else in this house that is magical, I cannot give away their identity as it may put their life in jeopardy. I think it would be very beneficial for all of us to have the knowledge of each others' powers so that in the event of a……problem we would be able to come to each other's aid. So I am asking you to trust me, when I ask if it would be acceptable for me to tell them of your powers," James concluded, looking at Sirius and Alice trying to anticipate their reactions. He felt for sure Alice would be able to figure out who he was talking about but he was praying that she would keep quiet.

Sirius was the first to speak, "I don't see why not, he probably would welcome knowing other people like him."

After Alice failed to voice her opinion James turned to her and asked her what she thought.

"Yes Mr. Potter, I agree it would be beneficial," Alice replied giving a tight lipped smile.

"Your trust will not be betrayed," James said solemnly before he stood up and snapped his fingers to lift the spell, exiting the room with Alice and Sirius behind him.

As they walked down the servants' corridor they passed Melissa, who stopped to give way. James could not help notice her smiling at him coyly. He was beginning to get a little worried. She had been flirting with him for the past week, which was unnerving enough, and now there was this silent contemplation. He had the feeling she was coming up with a plan, and he did not like it at all. He remembered earlier at the servants' dinner she had been unusually clumsy; not only had she spilt the water from the jug as she had passed it to James but she also had developed a habit of going slightly pink when in his presence… as she was doing now. James simply nodded his head in Melissa's direction, which was probably not the best thing to do as it caused her to go even redder. Luckily James was unaware of Alice's pursed lip frown at Melissa and Sirius' unsuccessful attempt to cover up his amusement; he had a boyish grin plastered across his face.

Sirius and James headed towards the dining room to inspect the luncheon table and make the necessary alterations before lunch would be served to the Lord and Lady Marks. Alice went about her rounds of Lily and Richard's rooms, which she would later follow with an inspection of the servants' rooms.

Lily entered the Dining room and took her place at one end of the table followed by Richard, who sat at the opposite end of the twenty foot long table.

"Dearest Lily, how are the fête preparations?" Richard asked pleasantly as he began to eat.

"It is going well…" Lily said softly, her voice trailing at the end.

"Pardon me? I did not quite hear that, you must speak up dear," Richard said from the other end of the table. Lily disliked eating meals with Richard for he insisted on having conversations while they sat at either end of their twenty foot long wooden table. This made conversations loud and contrived. Also she felt uncomfortable with the footmen and James standing nearby; obviously they would not dream of eavesdropping but nevertheless Lily felt uneasy and tried to keep speech to a minimum.

"The preparations are going well, Richard, I have overseen the various committees that are setting up stalls on our lawn," Lily replied.

"Splendid! My, you _are_ a very competent woman! I had my doubts about you having to arrange most of the Fête whilst I was away, but I see now I need not have worried," Richard praised snootily.

"And the local hospital is very grateful for our generosity, seeing as the event is in aid of them," Lily added.

"Yes, yes, all for a good cause," Richard agreed pompously. Lily bit her lip, trying to hide her irritation with him. Instead, she said enthusiastically,

"I've very much enjoy the time I spend with the patients in the hospitals, they all have such remarkable stories to share."

"Yes, you have to teach them how to behave in modern day society," Richard stated. It was believed that the rich upper class women were benefiting society by impressing their values on women who were not as privileged as them. Besides it gave women like Lily an opportunity to voice their opinions as well as keep up appearances.

"Oh I do not think that is necessary…" Lily said before she could catch herself.

"And why would that be?" Richard asked, raising an eyebrow sceptically.

"No, what I _mean_ to say is, they all seem such delightful women, I hardly needed to teach them anything," Lily said, thinking quickly and wishing that she could learn to hold her tongue. She didn't need an argument with her husband right now.

"Ah, it must be the work of women like our mothers and their generation that have paved the way for a better future for those poor women," Richard said loftily, "but it's a shame that the rest of the nation is not as educated as the women you speak to. It often baffles me the mind-set of this new _liberal _government. It seems to me commoners get as much say as those who are noble, how can a great nation such as ours ever prosper with such ill-bred people voicing their opinions? It's simply absurd," Lord Marks proclaimed snootily. Lily felt sure she noticed James twitch, but when she glanced at him his face was expressionless. _Perhaps I had imagined it_, she thought.

"How are we to know that their word is worse than ours?" Lily asked, only aware after she had spoken what poor judgment she had used in disagreeing with her husband.

Richard raised his eyebrows slightly, surprised at Lily unusual defiance, and said,

"My dear, you have no idea how politics works; ,but there is no need to feel ashamed for it is your duty to stay up to date with the world of fashion and beauty and you are doing splendidly organising the Fête," Richard said, not meaning to sound patronising.

"Yes, well done Lily, for reading the fashion section everysingleday as if it were the Bible!" Lily muttered under her breath, enunciating each word.

"I beg your pardon Lily?" Richard enquired good-naturedly, having genuinely not heard and completely oblivious to Lily's signs of anger.

"Nothing," Lily said again, ducking her head down and continuing to eat her lunch. _There's no use questioning authority, Lord Marks is not all that bad, it's not his fault he was brought up with this view of women, _Lily thought to herself, trying to swallow the lump that was forming in her throat.

"No Lily, what were you saying?" Richard persisted.

"Well, I just feel that am capable of more than the typical duties of a mistress of the household," Lily said, pausing to gauge Richard's response before she continued.

"Would you care to elaborate?" Richard asked, straight-faced. However, Lily noticed a glint in his eye as if he was just humouring her, and this only motivated her to continue.

"Anyone can read about the latest dress design or hairstyle and it does not take much intelligence to write out invitations for fêtes and parties. Damn it, _I have views!_ I am not a doll that has no thoughts or feelings!" Lily exclaimed, exasperated.

"Now, now Lily, I never said that. Of course you have thoughts and feelings and I enjoy listening to you," Richard said soothingly, trying to ease the tension.

Unfortunately his attempts were in vain; Lily was getting more worked up by the minute.

"I am not like the other ladies who are completely absorbed in their lives as good submissive wives! You are not the only one who knows about what is going on in the world. Just because I do not travel to Europe every fortnight or spout off information about the French judicial system or British politics does not mean I am oblivious of the world we live in! I know about the Titanic and how it is about to set sail for its maiden journey next week. Also I have read Tolstoy and Marx so I am _not_ someone who needs to be _educated _about the politics of today!"

"Lily, get a hold of yourself, this is absolutely _unacceptable_ behaviour for a woman in your position. Whatever next, you'll be claiming that the damn Liberals are completely correct!" Richard retorted sarcastically.

"I am sick and tired of hearing about how the Liberals 'are sure to run this country into the ground.' I think it is us, the rich who are unaware; we are unaware of the social politics that make up this country. There is a _huge_ disparity between the rich and the poor, this new Liberal Prime Minister Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman is trying to bridge the gap, and it is we, _the rich,_ who are hindering him!"

"Lily, I will not have any more of this nonsense, you are not in your right mind I suggest you go and rest until dinner time," Richard said firmly.

"You want a trophy wife, someone who will make you look good! Heaven forbid should she actually have views of her own, let alone voice them!" Lily said coldly, determined to finish speaking her mind to him.

"Damn right," Richard yelled as he slammed his knife down of the table with such force that his wine glass toppled over and smashed. The footmen were fidgeting; Lily noticed absently, unsure whether to perform their duties and clear up or to stay out of the way of the conversation.

Richard pushed his heavy chair back forcefully and said whilst standing, "Why in the name of the lord would I want a wife who displays such impertinence as you have just done? Lunch is over." With that, he stalked out the room, presumably heading to the Billiards room to smoke a cigar in peace.

_That went well, _Lily thought bitterly as she finished her wine, carefully avoiding eye contact with James.

**Wow nearly 2000 words…tell us what you think! Thanks for all your patience, our fan base has diminished considerably but we still enjoy writing this original fic so who cares! ****Kate**


	13. Suppression

**Disclaimer: We don't own Lily Evans, James Potter, or any of the other characters belonging to J K Rowling who you'll meet as the story progresses. We do own the characters you don't recognise – unless, of course, you missed some names in the HP books. We own the plot and the settings, which we want to keep, so please don't steal anything.**

**A/N Merry Christmas / any other holiday you celebrate! Thanks, first of all, to everyone who has reviewed; we **_really _**appreciate the time and effort you put into reviewing our fic. And ego-inflating is **_always _**welcome :D . And I know I don't normally do this, but to **koonelli**, thanks for appreciating our accuracy (I know I'm paranoid about whether or not it really is accurate), and thanks even more for pointing out the okay issue… there aren't any in this chapter, and we'll fix the others when we go back and edit. And IB's hell, but we'll survive. Hopefully. And to **msnorris12000**, the Titanic served two purposes. It showed the rough time frame and also that Lily's up-to-date on current events. Also Kate sees it ****as perhaps a symbol of the era's imminent downfall. ****And that's it! Sorry about the long and drawn-out A/N… I hope the chapter makes up for it! Enjoy! (And please R/R?)**

_Suppression _

Lily crept into the kitchen, thankful for the cover the darkness of the night provided. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted to beat her head against the wall and fall into oblivion. She needed to talk to James. Then he was there, and pressing a cup of hot tea into her hands as he eased her into her customary seat at the wooden table. Instead of taking his own place on the other side he sat next to her, holding her hands in place around the teacup with his own.

"Dear God, James," she said at last.

"Shh, Lily," he replied soothingly. "It's fine. You'll be fine."

"Of course I'll bloody well be fine! He's the model of modern-day values. It's… ohh. I can predict the future. I'm like Trelawney, did you know that?" she giggled nervously. "Five years from now. I'll be sitting at home every day, engaging the ladies in boring conversation about the latest dress patterns. Richard will find himself a mistress and we'll never talk to each other at all. This is my life, James! I'm going to spend eternity here. Alone!" She began to sob.

"Lily!" he said, voice sharp. "Snap out of it! It was your decision," he said brutally.

"How dare you? How _dare _you criticise me? You have absolutely _no _idea what…"

"That's the Lily I know," James said smugly. "Come on, calm down. Now tell me what's happened."

"You were there for most of it," Lily admitted, anger gone as soon as it had come. She realised he had skilfully manipulated her through self-pity and anger to calm discussion, and was pleased that he had done so. "He's just so… I don't even know how to describe it. Archaic, I suppose. No, not even that. He doesn't think! He follows the mould without even thinking about what he's doing! And he expects me to be something I'm not. I suppose he didn't know I wasn't who I seemed to be when I married him, but he's an intelligent man! He should have figured out by now that I'm not some empty-headed child prepared to do everything he says he wants me to. And then I'm torn… I know I _should _do what he says he wants me to. I should take interest in fashion. I'm just not a proper lady. My parents were right," she said, laughing bitterly. "Hogwarts did ruin me. I'm worthless."

James took hold of her hands again, pressing them between his own and staring into her eyes. "You are _not _worthless," he told her firmly. "I know what it's like to have different values… God knows I know… but you _will_ get over it. And Lily, he's a good man, Lord Marks. I'm not just saying it because I'm his butler. He's the most…." James paused for a moment, searching for the most appropriate word, "…'by the book' muggle I know, but for a muggle he's not all bad. It'll take him a while to get used to you, and you to him, but eventually you'll become friends. And you'll work through your difficulties and it'll all work out. You'll ride off into the sunset."

"James, that's so much rubbish."

"Maybe. But Lily, does it matter?"

"I suppose you're right. Well," she said briskly, "I think I've had enough of talking about this. You had something to tell me the other night."

"I did," James replied slowly. "You see, I'm not the only wizard in the household."

Lily choked on her tea.

"Alice Allgood, the housekeeper, is a witch. And Sirius Black is an untrained wizard."

"I… oh. That is… surprising. I… I don't think I can handle all this right now. We need to meet at some point, to discuss everything, but at the moment… I can't think."

"I don't blame you," James said. "Don't worry. Patch things up with Richard and finish the fête preparations. Alice and Sirius can wait. They don't know who you are yet."

"I can't just patch things up with Richard," Lily told him irritably. "I don't know if I even want to."

"Lily," James said earnestly, "You are one of the people I respect and admire the most. You are one of my best friends. Propriety be damned… if anyone can fix it, Lily, it's you. And you can't just divorce him. It is _not _the done thing. You'd be left penniless. Marks wouldn't give you a thing, and while you'll always have a place to live with me, do you really want to throw your entire life away?"

"Thanks James," Lily replied. "You're right, of course. You're always right." She smiled a little. "And it gets very annoying. Well, since we're damning propriety…" Lily leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Good night, James. Thank you."

_The next day _

"But of course, Lady Olivia," Lily said animatedly. "My husband would be delighted to meet you. Come this way, I think I last saw him over here…"

The fête was in full progress. The guests were in their element, Lord Marks was walking about talking happily with everyone, children were running around everywhere, and Lily was bored out of her mind. She led Olivia to where she had last seen her husband, and stopped in shock when she saw Lord Marks. He was talking with Remus Lupin. _This does not bode well_, Lily thought nervously. She had originally invited Remus to try and patch up their relationship, which had seriously deteriorated after her marriage to Richard and to have some intelligent company during the fête. Unfortunately, Richard had found him first. Lily just prayed there wouldn't be any problems.

"Lady Lily!" Remus exclaimed, catching sight of Lily, "How splendid to see you!" He bent over her hand and kissed it, eyes twinkling with mischief. "It has been such a long time and, I say, marriage agrees with you. You look lovely, as usual. It is a pleasure to see you again."

"And you," Lily agreed, smiling easily for the first time all day. Then, turning to her husband, she said, "My dear, I have the honour of presenting to you the Lady Olivia Delacorte. She is the sister of the lady Delia Delacorte, who is, I believe, of your acquaintance?"

Richard looked slightly panicked, a reaction Lily noticed with mild confusion. He was never ruffled in public and the appearance of this lady was hardly worthy of fear.

"My lady," Richard said, clasping Olivia's hand in his and kissing it. "Surely our modest fête was not cause enough to bring you all the way from Paris?" Olivia was still holding Richard's hand. Lily frowned.

"Ah, you do not do yourself justice, my lord," Olivia replied sweetly. She gently let go of his hand. "This fête is the highlight of my summer. Thank you, Lily, for introducing me to your delightful husband. I fear I must go; an acquaintance of mine is beckoning. Au revoir madame, messieurs."

"Delightful lady," Lily commented blandly. Remus raised an eyebrow at her, smiling a little.

"She is," Richard responded absently, following Olivia with his eyes. Then he turned to Lily. "Mr Remus Lupin was telling me that you two are old friends He is extremely knowledgeable in history, as I have discovered."

"But not nearly so as you are, Lord Marks," Remus replied, and then winked at Lily. "I was just telling your husband, my lady, what a shame it is that I see my childhood friend so rarely these days. He suggested I stay a while, to renew our acquaintance. And, of course, I am dying for the chance to peruse your library, Lord Richard." Lily bit back laughter. Remus certainly knew how to get what he wanted.

"We would be delighted if you would stay with us a while, Mr Lupin," Lily said, complying with his unspoken request.

"Of course," Richard agreed affably. "In fact, I am regrettably going to be out of town over the next week. In Paris, actually. Perhaps you would like to stay a week or two now, while I am away? Lily, I fear, needs something to keep her occupied, and no doubt would be much happier with a man to oversee matters." Lily bristled. The nerve of the man! This was all because of their conversation yesterday, she felt sure. Of course she would love to see Remus, but to… Lily took a deep breath, and slowly let it out.

"Of course, Mr Lupin, I would love nothing more than to play host to you while you keep an eye on affairs here," she said, fluttering her eyelashes at her old friend. Remus, recognising the signs, grimaced.

"Excellent!" Lord Marks replied, grinning around at them and completely oblivious to the byplay. "In that case, why don't you make arrangements for a room for Mr Remus, Lily, while I make the rounds once more," he suggested, nodding his head at the people around him.

Lily nodded meekly, seething internally. "Come, Mr Lupin, I don't believe I have given you a tour of the house yet. It would be my pleasure to do so."

James, meanwhile, was hovering in the background, overseeing the contingent of waiters who had been hired to supplement the household's footmen in keeping the guests' drinks refilled. From the corner of his eye he saw Melissa approaching him and he groaned internally. _Just what I need right now_, he thought gloomily.

"Mister Potter!" she exclaimed. "So good to see you! I was just telling…"

"Melissa," James told her gently. "You really are a very nice girl, and I do enjoy your company immensely, but…"

"Why thank you James!" Melissa said, determinedly cutting off his imminent refusal of her affections. "I too enjoy spending time in your company. Perhaps we should pay a visit to the town together at some point? Please agree! I would be so disappointed if you don't!" She looked up at him with wide eyes. James suppressed the urge to groan.

"I…" he said, trying to think of a way to refuse without being rude. _I don't think I can_, he thought grumpily. _Today just keeps getting better._ "Well, Melissa, in that case I suppose…"

"Mister Potter!" a voice said in his ear. James jumped and whirled around, to see a grinning Sirius standing there. "Sorry to interrupt, but you're needed in the kitchen."

"Yes, thank you, Sirius. Excuse me, Melissa." James breathed a sigh of relief and headed off to the kitchen accompanied by Sirius, leaving a downcast Melissa standing behind him.

"Thank you, Sirius," James told him. "You have no idea how much."

"Oh, I think I do," Sirius replied, grinning.

"I just… I can't get rid of her! She's always there and she's so determined," he complained.

"I'll see what I can do," Sirius promised.

"Maybe you could talk some sense into her?" James asked hopefully.

"Oh… yes," Sirius agreed. "That too."

**The next chapter might not be up until February since Kate will be busy planning a school trip to Sri Lankafor the end of Jan plus has loads of other IB work to do. So apologies for another long wait but hopefully by updating with this chapter soon after the previous one you'll forgive us! Once again, we really do appreciate reviews and don't intend on leaving this fic unfinished since it is loads of fun to write! Don't forget to review! **


	14. Connecting and Disconnecting

**Disclaimer: We don't own Lily Evans, James Potter, Sirius Black (I'm not giving anything away since by now you should be aware he exists in this fic) or any of the other characters belonging to J K Rowling who you might meet as the story progresses. We do own most of the other characters so please do not "borrow" or steal them. We definitely own the plot and the settings, we have been inspired by many sources but we have not plagiarized – I hope. So please enjoy this fic and don't steal anything!**

**A/N I'm back! I cannot begin to say how sorry I am for leaving this fic. I find this L/J fic with an original twist very enjoyable to write so I will try my very best not to leave for such a long time again. I never wanted to become one of those authors who leave their fics unfinished for months on end, plus this is a joint fic so really I should have been more considerate to Stef. Anyway here is the chapter and I hope you enjoy it; the good news is I've already got inspiration for chapter 16. Thanks Stef for the encouragement :)**

_Connecting and Disconnecting_

"Mister Pott…oh Sirius, I'm sorry I thought Mister Potter was here," Melissa said blushing as she walked into the kitchen in the late evening thinking the dark silhouette was James.

"It's alright Miss Hopkins; fancy a nightcap before turning in?" Sirius suggested jokily winking at her.

"Oh, I do not think it would be proper…." Melissa murmured nervously.

"Since when do you care what is proper?" Sirius enquired, raising his left eyebrow.

Melissa reddened and dropped her head.

Realising he may have gone too far Sirius quickly changed the subject.

"I say, the fête was a success, wasn't it? Lady Lily makes a very fine hostess, doesn't she?" Sirius said, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"Yes... yes she does," Melissa added and went over to the sink to fill up the kettle with water.

"How long have you known the Mistress, if you don't mind me asking?" Sirius said, trying to strike up a conversation.

"Well, I have beenher Lady's Maid since…"

Melissa and Sirius talked and exchanged stories interspersed with a great amount of laughter throughout the night until they heard the grandfather clock chiming three times. Taking that as their cue they each bade the other good night and retreated to their separate floors of the house to get two hours of precious sleep before the next day began.

The next day James noticed both Melissa and Sirius were unusually tired and he could have sworn that Sirius had winked at Melissa as he passed her in the corridor. Something seemed to have changed over the course of the last twenty-four hours but he could not put his finger on it. Oh well, at least he did not have Melissa batting her eyelids at him and incessantly trying to get his attention.

Outside Lily and Richard were enjoying the warm weather sitting in the garden together, which was a rare occurrence, each reading sections of the newspaper, fashion and politics respectively.

"Lily, dear, the fête was a grand success if I do say so myself," Richard remarked.

"I do agree, the weather was splendid and I very much anticipate Mr Lupin's company when you are away," Lily replied.

"Yes, he does seem like a fine gentleman. Where was it that you met him, I seem to have forgotten?" he asked casually.

"Oh…we met at school. He is a very dear friend; did I not tell you this before?" Lily replied quickly, trying her best not to appear on edge.

"It does seem rather odd for a girl like you to have attended a co-educational school; there were not many of those around when I was a boy but I suppose times have changed," Richard pondered aloud as he took a sip of his tea and turned the newspaper page in a casual manner.

"Yes, dear," Lily said quietly, trying not to lie any more than was absolutely necessary. Thankfully Richard, being the man he was, did not see it as a subject worth pursuing.

"Anyway Lily, while I am away I would like it if Mr Lupin resumes my role as head of the household temporarily…" upon seeing Lily about to cut in he continued quickly,

"I do not doubt your capability of running this household however you do understand that it is a large house and there needs to be a sense of authority and I feel by having a man around the house to oversee matters is in everyone's best interests," Richard concluded adamantly, trying to convey that it was non-negotiable. However, unfortunately, Lily was not going to stand for any of this.

"Excuse me, Richard? What do you mean exactly when you say that it is in 'everyone's best interests,' do you mean it is in _my _best interest that I do not have the power over our servants in our house!" Lily asked shrilly.

"Lily, I do not feel this is a matter to be discussed," Richard responded tersely.

"I think it is; I am a competent, intelligent and confident woman. I am perfectly able to manage this household on my own! I will have you know that this place ran like clockwork while you were away on business previously. Why is it that _suddenly _you deem it necessary for me to have a man around the house to "oversee matters?" Lily said furiously, glaring at Richard.

"Lily, I do not appreciate that tone of voice," Richard warned.

"Richard stop talking to me as if I were a young child! I am your wife and I am a grown woman, not your daughter! I am entirely capable of overseeing this household. Besides which, with Mr Potter's assistance, I'm sure everything will be running smoothly," Lily responded forcefully.

"Lily!" Richard exclaimed, shocked at her sudden audacity.

"There really does not seem to be any problems… unless there is something that is troubling you," Lily concluded with a challenging look.

"Actually Lily, there _is_ something that is troubling me now that you mention it, it is your conduct," Richard said sternly, looking squarely at her from his end of the table.

"My conduct?" Lily replied with genuine surprise.

"I am unhappy to say that I do not feel you are conducting yourself in manner of which a lady in your position should be assuming," Richard explained stiffly.

"Please elaborate, I do not seem to understand," Lily queried, beginning to feel slightly worried.

"Lily, your recent displays of emotion have dismayed me greatly. I do not feel it is appropriate behaviour. Nor do I feel it is your place to be conversing so freely with my butler," Richard said firmly.

"Richard, are you implying that I am becoming too gregarious with Mr Potter?" Lily replied, shocked, suppressing the sudden flash of guilt she was feeling

"No, Lily, I am not. I am simply saying that I do not want you to be overseeing the household with Mr Potter for it would be much better for Mr Lupin to be head of the household while I am away. I have already made all the arrangements so there is no need for you to worry; we should be expecting Mr Lupin to arrive tomorrow evening and I will be departing early the next morning," Richard said briskly.

"Richard, do you not trust me?" Lily asked, unsure as to whether to feel hurt or angry, or even both.

"No, no, that is absolutely not the case. I trust you completely, I just feel Mr Lupin is best suited to oversee household matters, Lily I do not need to be explaining this to you, you are perfectly aware of the way things are supposed to be. I must leave, I have some work to do in my study," Richard said and got up quickly with his newspaper folded in half in his hand.

_The way things are supposed to be…_ Lily sighed as she sank into her chair, she could not help noticing that his cheeks had gone a slight shade of pink when she had questioned him on trusting her.

**Well, I hope this was worth the wait! Even though the next few months will be hectic for me with SAT preparation and other work and activities my chapters should be updated more regularly since the ideas are starting to flow again. I changed the rating of this fic because I thought it was too low, what do you think - should it be lower or higher? Please leave a review, believe it or not your reviews do inspire as well as force me to get back to writing this fic. Thanks! **

**Kate **


	15. L’Habit Ne Fait Pas Le Moine

**Disclaimer: We don't own Lily Evans, James Potter, or any of the other characters belonging to J K Rowling who you'll meet as the story progresses. We do own the characters you don't recognise – unless, of course, you missed some names in the HP books. We own the plot and the settings, which we want to keep, so please don't steal anything.**

**A/N A quick note on the title, first of all; "**L'Habit Ne Fait Pas Le Moine **means "The habit does not make the monk," or more generally, "what's on the outside isn't necessarily what's on the inside." I'll leave you to contemplate the reasoning behind our sudden burst into French proverbs. As to HBP… well, this story was never canon, and HBP just cements that. You can't mind too much, or you would never have read this far. Sorry for the extremely long delay… I didn't quite get around to finishing this before I went on holiday, but now it's done and betaed and thoroughly discussed, so it's up! Look for Kate's chapter in the next few weeks, though things might slow down again after that because we're both going into our final year of the IB. And now, I present to you, the chapter! Enjoy.**

_L'Habit Ne Fait Pas Le Moine_

Lily lay back in her bed, frowning into the darkness. Richard was right. She _wasn't _a proper wife. She didn't try nearly as hard as she should, either to please him or to do her duty by him. Her parents had requested that she engage his attention, that she marry him, and she had done so. Was it fair now to say that she had done her duty and ignore her husband, simply because she didn't love him? He had loved her, once, when they had first married. She had been able to see it in his eyes, in his smile. He told her through his kisses, the way he held her hand, as delicate as if it were a priceless treasure. And now, her attentions were straying… it did not matter that she had committed no physical infidelity, was emotional infidelity not just as bad? Their marriage was loveless, nothing but a charade. She could feel no love for Richard; she knew that now and probably always had. Their values were completely different, their thoughts and views on everything always contrasted, and yet… yet she had always suppressed the views that were now becoming more and more vocal. Society was unforgiving, and Richard was unforgiving; she had lived her entire life by values that she disliked, why should she _now _choose to abandon those values? She had been living by them for so long; why not live by them longer, if it would make Richard happy? Perhaps she could even learn to love him.

"And forget your yearnings for another," she whispered to herself. Yes. She would do it. Straightening her shoulders, she climbed out of bed and put a shawl around her shoulders. Softly, she padded barefoot to Richard's bedroom.

There was a light inside the room, softly flickering candlelight coming from the crack in the door. But no sound came from within, so Lily eased the door open gently, reluctant to wake her husband if he was sleeping. Instead, she saw, he was leaning over a paper at his writing-table, not three feet away, scribbling hastily. There was a letter above his own, written in a flowery script that was certainly not a business correspondence. _And why_, Lily wondered, _is he writing letters this late at night? Almost… almost as if he did not want me to know of it…_ She stiffened, suddenly, and with a firm resolve she entered the room. Richard jumped, and then over-casually swept the parchment he had been working on and the letter to which he had been replying under a pile of other papers.

"Lily, you startled me," he said, in a tone that was again far too casual. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I had thought… as your wife…" she trailed off. Propriety be _damned, _she would know what he had been writing. "What was that?" she asked finally, changing subjects so quickly that her husband blinked.

"That?" he inquired coolly.

"That letter to which you appeared to be responding. Its script was… most unusual."

Richard flinched. "It was… an enquiry. About the research. My research. On the French judicial system."

"Oh?" Lily replied softly. "Then you would not mind if I see the paper?" Before he could object she leaned over and grabbed it from the bottom of the pile of papers on his desk. She had taken his response, not the original letter, she realised belatedly, but she began to read it regardless.

_My Dearest Olivia,_

I cannot wait until we are at last… 

Before she could even finish reading the first sentence, however, the letter was snatched from her hand. A horrible lump in her throat, she looked up at Lord Marks.

"You…" she couldn't finish the sentence.

"It is simply a research…"

"It's not research at all!" she snapped at him. "You don't even _do _research, do you? You go over to France to consort with that… that… harlot!"

"Lily, I…"

"You _what_?" she spat at him. Richard's eyes narrowed suddenly.

"You dare accuse me?" he hissed at her. "_You, _whose actions grow more improper by the day! At least my affairs are _clandestine_!"

"I share my opinions only with you," Lily said furiously, trying not to think about her late night conversations with James. "I'm not betraying you in telling you what I'm thinking!"

"Your thoughts are improper for a lady of your station! Your behaviour-"

"Has nothing to do with your affair! I shall see you when you get back from your _business_ trip," Lily spat angrily, suddenly finding herself unable to continue the argument. With barely contained tears, she fled back to her room.

When she reached the door, however, she felt that she couldn't bear to go back to bed, just now. She turned, walked blindly now down the stairs as tears streamed from her eyes, going down a flight, down another, through the empty kitchen, and then up, following a path she had never taken before. Then she was knocking on his door and James opened it slightly, a worried expression on his face. He took one look at her and opened the door widely, ushering her in. Then his arms were around her and she was crying into his shoulder, knowing it was wrong but not caring in the slightest.

Lily woke early the next morning, tired but clear-headed, to Mary knocking gently on her door. "Come in," she called out tiredly, and the housemaid entered, placing the tray of tea and toast on Lily's nightstand.

"Good morning, lady," she said as she opened the curtains. "Oh, my lady, Mr Potter instructed me that I tell you Lord Marks left on his business trip early. He left this morning, my lady, instead of tomorrow. He said Mr Lupin will still arrive this afternoon."

"Thank you, Mary," Lily said, sitting up in bed and taking a sip of her tea, her hands shaking slightly through fury. _Typical_ _male!_ She thought angrily, _always fleeing the situation when things go wrong!_

"Oh, would you please inform Mr Potter that I shall take breakfast in the morning room today?" Lily asked on a whim. She didn't feel that she could quite cope with sitting in the dining room all alone this morning.

"Of course, my lady," Mary said, nodding. Then she curtseyed and left Lily alone.

By the time Melissa entered the room, ready to help Lily into her dress, Lily had decided on a plan of action. She would do what any other woman in her situation would. It was time to pay a visit to her mother. :)

"My daughter!" Elizabeth said upon Lily's entrance into the drawing room. "Such a delightful surprise to see you!" There was real love in her eyes as she hugged her daughter, and Lily felt a surge of emotion for her mother. They had very different views on almost everything in life, and yet her mother truly loved her. Elizabeth drew back, casting a worried eye over her daughter before gaining her usual composure.

"Take a seat, Lily, dear. Is something troubling you?"

"Yes, Mother." Lily drew a breath, then continued, "My husb- Lord Marks visits a woman when he makes his business trips to France." She dared to glance up at her mother's face, which showed compassion but not surprise.

"Such is the way of the world," Elizabeth said softly, her eyes intent on Lily. "One cannot change a man from the way God intended him to be. A woman may suggest, and coax, but her action must be subtle, never overt." Her eyes had a far-away sheen, almost as if she was speaking to herself. She shook her head a little, clearing it. "You can do nothing, my dear. But he will return to you, and make amends. Do not embarrass him, remain loyal to him, and your husband will come to love you, and perhaps even beg for your forgiveness."

"My _husband _is at this moment associating with another woman!"

"The world is harsh," Elizabeth said calmly. "You must learn to live with it. You have no choice. He will come back to you. _You _are his wife, not Olivia Delacorte."

Lily suddenly felt very cold. "You know her name, Mother?" she asked in a voice that did not sound her own.

"Why… yes," Elizabeth said, looking a little ruffled now. "You told me just a minute ago, my dear, surely you-"

"I did not," Lily replied icily. There was a ringing sound in her ears. "I did not even know her last name before… She sank back into the chair, her mind whirling. Suddenly, everything clicked into place. Delia's cousin. She had come to the fête all the way from France… Richard had seemed afraid of her, even a little angered by her presence, but couldn't help watching her… but how on earth could her mother have known Olivia's surname, or even her first name? Lily felt sick.

"You knew," she whispered hoarsely.

"I…"

"Good day, mother," Lily said abruptly, rising from the seat. "This visit was most pleasant. I thank you for your hospitality." She walked smoothly from the room, out the hallway, and climbed into the carriage, ignoring the guilty sideways glances the footmen were giving her as they hid cigarettes from her view. _My mother knew, all this time! How did she know? My father… he must have found out. But why didn't they tell me? Why couldn't… And if my father found out, who else knows? What if everyone knows, but nobody told me…_ Lily groaned, leaning back against the cushion as she was taken back home. All she wanted to do was crawl back into bed and hide her head under the covers. Sadly, her plans for sleep were thwarted by the smiling Remus Lupin who alighted from his carriage moments after Lily herself had done so.

"Lily!" Remus cried delightedly, and then seemed to realise that she had only just returned. "I apologise for my early arrival; I had not realise you would be away this morning. I hope I have not caused you inconvenience."

"None at all," Lily replied warmly. Suddenly, she was extremely glad to see her old friend.

"Allow the footmen to take your bags. I shall call a maid to bring us some tea. You are thirsty after your journey?"

"Thank you, Lily," he said. Lily smiled at him. It would be good having Remus stay with her over the next few days. He would be able to take her mind of things, by day. She had James by night.


	16. Introductions

**Disclaimer: We don't own Lily Evans, James Potter, or any of the other characters belonging to J K Rowling who you'll meet as the story progresses. We do own the characters you don't recognise – unless, of course, you missed some names in the HP books. We own the plot and the settings, which we want to keep, so please don't steal anything.**

**A/N: Hi, Kate here…I hope you guys liked Stef's chapter, we're getting back into the flow of things (two chapters in less than two weeks!) but this week we are back to school so there may be more long breaks between chapters. This chapter is very long…I think our longest one yet. Thanks Coco-Pop for reviewing, as we explained in one of our FAQs Lily and Remus are just friends. Anyway please comment in your review with constructive criticism and any questions. Here's the chapter! **

_Introductions_

"So there you have it," Lily concluded as she sat with Remus in the Morning Room telling him about her deteriorating marriage and Richard's affair. She had yet to tell him anything about James Potter and their burgeoning relationship; she was still contemplating whether this would be a wise move when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Lily replied,

"My lady I do apologise for disturbing you, would you prefer to arrange another time to discuss the arrangements for the day?" James Potter enquired.

"Oh, my, is it ten o'clock already?" Lily said casually, and then looked at the clock on the mantelpiece before turning to James. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a faint look of disapproval upon Remus Lupin's face, regarding the way she was conducting herself.

"No Mr Potter that will not be necessary," Lily began, "Re…Mr Lupin, I do apologise for this, please allow Mr Potter show you to the Business Room," Lily said, turning to Remus.

"Mr Potter please inform Monsieur Pignon and Missus Allgood that the meeting can now commence," Lily added, trying to sound more authoritative than she felt.

After a discussion regarding the arrangements for day and the menus, Lily was finally able to spend more time talking to Remus; she felt slightly irritated that he refused to comment on her marriage and Richard's affair, apart from re-stating that he felt that man and wife should stay together for better or for worse. It made her recall the previous conversations she had had with Remus just after she had come back from her honeymoon in Europe. However, she could not recollect whether it had actually been she who had said that or Remus.

"Remus, I honestly do not feel I will be able to stay married to this man who calls himself my husband yet leaves every other fortnight to consort with his French mistress!" Lily said out of desperation.

"Lily, the situation is not ideal but surely you know that you are not the first for this to have happened?" Remus asked, trying to comfort her but in fact his words angered her.

"Yes I know this happens all the time but that does not mean it does not hurt, it does not mean that I do not want to do something about it and it most certainly does not excuse him!" said Lily, forcefully.

"Now Lily, we are living in a society where acts of infidelity are common amongst men… if it were you who had cheated on Lord Marks…well that would be another story," Remus said calmly.

"Yes, it most certainly would be," Lily said calming down for she did not wish to vent her anger out on her school-friend.

"Your butler is remarkably efficient, how long have you had him in your service?" Remus inquired, changing the subject.

"A few months now, he is very capable and I suppose I owe a lot to him for keeping this house running smoothly whilst Richard is away," Lily said, trying to think of a way to explain who James Potter was and bring in Sirius's situation.

"Remus, have you heard anything from your sister, Rebecca was her name was it not?" Lily asked.

"The last that I heard was that she had left the country, with her husband, I presume," Remus said.

"Oh really, such an odd thing to do, it does not seem to make much sense." Lily feigned ignorance.

"Yes… well I do not keep in close correspondence with my sister; she had this ridiculous notion that our parents loved me more than her because I was sent off to Hogwarts. What I have gathered is that she and her husband have done a runner because he had to file for bankruptcy and somehow got caught up in money laundering… nasty business," Remus said with disdain.

"It all does sound rather ghastly… have you met her husband?" Lily asked, hoping this would be a way in for her to explain the situation.

"Only at the wedding but that was a rather long time ago; he seemed like a respectable gentleman… it's a wonder sometimes how good men can turn bad isn't it?" Remus mused.

"Yes, it is…" Lily murmured to herself.

Looking at the clock, Lily saw that it was only half past ten so she would have enough time to explain the James Potter situation before luncheon at one o'clock.

"Remus, I do not know how to broach this subject in a polite manner therefore please excuse my candour," Lily began, slightly apprehensively, "I know that your sister Rebecca Lupin's husband is called James Potter and he did go bankrupt and she did leave the country for reasons I do not know. However, I also know that her husband is not in trouble with the law… in fact her husband, well, ex-husband, is working for me," Lily said, taking a breath and letting the information sink in.

"Working for you?" Remus asked, bemused.

"Yes, he is my butler, Mr James Potter," Lily said with an air of pride.

"That means your butler is…" Remus began, but Lily interrupted.

"Yes, my butler is a wizard and he was Head Boy at Hogwarts, I think I noticed you vaguely recognising him… I am ashamed to say that I did not recognise him since after I graduated I had to come back and be wed to Lord Marks, from then on cutting myself off from all connections to the Wizarding world…excluding present company of course," Lily said with a small, sad smile.

"Wha…How…I, I…don't know what to say!" Remus burst out.

Lily laughed,

"It's a shock isn't it? And that's not the half of it,"

"There is _more_?" Remus said incredulously.

"Yes and there is also a favour that I have to ask of you but I think it'll have to wait since it is now time to get ready for luncheon," Lily replied.

After what was a very quiet lunch, for Remus was still mentally processing the newly gained information, Lily and Remus were out in the garden playing a game of croquet.

"So, Lady Lily what was it that you had to tell me?" Remus asked as he hit the wooden ball neatly through a hoop.

"The story does not end there, not only is my butler a wizard but so is my housekeeper and first footman…"

"Goodness gracious me! Well, this does seem like an absurd amount of coincidences,"

"Doesn't it? Well Missus Allgood is a witch and Sirius Black is an untrained wizard, which brings me onto the favour. James and Missus Allgood have begun teaching Sirius spells, however they require some help with teaching him the theory and, well, I thought you would be able to provide some assistance. Since Lord Marks is away for goodness knows how long it seems training will commence whenever you are ready, that is if you feel it is not too much of a burden," Lily said cautiously.

"No it would not be a burden; well perhaps it would be best to call upon Professor Dumbledore for advice," Remus replied wearily.

"Capital idea!" Lily said, beaming brightly, which only made Remus even more worried since he had never seen Lily so…well happy.

"So I guess it's time for me to formally introduce you to them, we'll have afternoon tea in the Drawing Room with them. Please excuse me while I go and arrange it," Lily said merrily.

Lily went off to the back entrance of the house with a slight spring to her step leaving a very bewildered Remus Lupin. _First I find out that my estranged sister's ex-husband is working for Lily as her butler and that he is a wizard. Then I find out that he and Lily are not the only magical people in the household, but so are the housekeeper and the first footman! Then I'm asked to help train the first footman who is an untrained wizard! And now we are going to have Afternoon Tea in the Drawing Room with the servants, what has society come to!_

Remus quickly tried to push all his pre-conceived ideas of proper etiquette out of his mind and try to mimic Lily's nonchalant attitude towards social decorum. He watched Lily closely as the Housekeeper brought in the array of scones, tea cakes, biscuits, finger sandwiches and a pot of tea. Much to his surprise she then sat down to join them! Lily noticing Remus' shocked expression began the introductions.

"Remus, this is Missus Allgood, my housekeeper who is a very capable witch,"

"Oh…pleasure to meet you Missus Allgood, I assume you attended Hogwarts?" Remus said trying to sound at ease.

"Please call me Alice. Yes, I graduated Hogwarts in 1883, splendid place isn't it?" Alice replied cheerily.

"Yes, it most certainly is," said Remus with a weak smile.

There was a knock on the door and Sirius entered with some silverware.

"My lady," Sirius said and bowed and placed the silverware on the table and turned to leave.

"Sirius, don't leave!" Lily said quickly,

"My lady?" Sirius enquired.

"Please join us, this is Remus Lupin a wizard that I went to school with. We are discussing your wizard training," Lily explained.

"It is an honour to meet you sir," Sirius said with a bow.

"Take a seat Sirius," Lily encouraged.

Sirius gingerly took a seat beside Alice Allgood.

"Remus, please meet Sirius Black, the untrained wizard who perhaps with your training will be able to gain the knowledge we gained from our professors as Hogwarts. We shall begin when Mr Potter arrives," Lily said.

Just as she had said that, there was another knock at the door and James entered.

"Please accept my humblest apologies for my tardiness," James said and bowed.

"Oh don't be silly James," Lily replied hastily. Remus could not stop himself from raising an eyebrow.

"Remus Lupin, I am sure you recognise my butler James Potter," Lily said with a smile.

"Yes, I do, good afternoon James Potter," Remus said as he shook James hand, before James took a seat slightly taken aback.

"Well before we begin filling in the blanks and answering questions about our pasts I would like to officially ask you Remus if you would honour my request to train Sirius Black," Lily began, naturally assuming the role of hostess.

"I would be honoured to train Sirius Black, however I feel we must first consult Professor Dumbledore since I am without a doubt he will be able to provide some guidance," Remus replied solemnly.

"Yes I agree, now shall we discuss the lessons?" Lily asked as she reached for a cucumber sandwich and gestured for the others to help themselves to the food.

"I do beg your pardon my lady for interrupting but perhaps we should explain to Sirius who Professor Dumbledore is," Alice Allgood suggested.

"Yes, good point, and please call me Lily. I think while in each other's company we can be on first name basis."

Remus nodded in compliance.

"James perhaps you could explain it better," Lily said looking at James and she began pouring tea for everyone.

"Professor Dumbledore is the headmaster of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry which you already know about. He is known for his unconventional ideas and you could say he is one of the greatest minds in the wizarding world," James explained.

After Alice and James had gotten Remus up to speed on what they had taught Sirius the conversation digressed onto other subject areas. Lily and Alice Allgood were in deep conversation about the teachers at Hogwarts, reminiscing about McGonagall's strictness and Filch's grouchiness, with Sirius enraptured, catching every word as if he was living it. After talking about sports and other leisure activities for a while James and Remus' conversation eventually came to the topic of James' marriage.

"So tell me James what actually happened? You would not believe some of the things I have been hearing," Remus said, chuckling.

"Well, I guess opposites don't attract after all!" James replied, laughing.

"I guess not, but seriously…?"

James shifted in his seat knowing he could not skirt the subject any longer; he would have gladly been anywhere but here talking to his ex-wife's brother about his failed marriage.

"Well, I don't know how much you know about Rebecca's spending habits…"

"You mean her spendthrift nature?" Remus offered with a look of sympathy.

"I suppose you do know. Anyway as you know I owned a bakery which allowed me to live comfortably but not extravagantly…." James began telling the story of how he went from being a middle-class bakery owner to a lower class butler.

"My goodness, she really is too much!" Remus responded horrified when James had told him about Rebecca's unannounced visit to the Marks estate.

James went on to explain how Rebecca's scheming antics had reached such heights of notoriety that it was in the press and the police were after her and her manager for money laundering. All Remus could do was shake his head in dismay and both men looked at each other, unlike women they did not need words of sympathy, they simply sat together in silence while Lily and Alice told Sirius stories about their adventures at Hogwarts.

_The next day_

After the formal introductions the previous day they all agreed that there was not a moment to lose since no one knew when Lord Marks would be returning. Remus had had a conversation with Dumbledore through the fire, discussing methods of training Sirius. It was decided that Sirius required a wand thus a trip to Ollivanders in Diagon Alley was in order.

Sirius and Lily and Remus went to Diagon Alley, leaving James in charge of the manor house.

After what was a very lengthy consultation with Mr Ollivander Sirius finally emerged with a wand. Their next stop was Flourish and Blotts to pick up some books that Dumbledore had recommended, and much to Sirius' dismay the list was rather extensive. It seemed like over the next few weeks not only would he be learning practical spells but he would also be learning seven years worth of magical theory. Diagon Alley greatly interested Sirius for he had never seen a place quite like it before; he was particularly enchanted by Quality Quidditch Supplies where he saw a magnificent broomstick with intricate engravings on it and moving posters of people in robes flying around. At first the sight of a moving picture had startled Sirius but the sight of a Quidditch game had sparked enthusiasm and a great amount of questions. His enthusiasm was not limited to the desire to find out about how to play the game he was also interested in whether the sport was played professionally, he quizzed Remus and Lily no end about the ins and outs of everything to do with the game. Unfortunately neither Remus nor Lily could fully answer his questions due to their limited amount of knowledge on the subject so in the end Sirius had to resign himself to asking James when they got back to the manor.

Lily looked at Sirius and saw that he looked slightly tired and concluded it was time to pay a visit to the Leaky Cauldron. It was not exactly the Three Broomsticksbut the private parlour was pleasant enough. Feeling rejuvenated after tea and scones Sirius had many more questions for Lily and Remus.

"So what was it like at Hogwarts? How did you get to know each other?"

"We had a few classes together but bear in mind Hogwarts is a large school with hundreds of students," Remus responded, taking a sip of his tea.

"Excuse me but I thought boys and girls were separated?" Sirius replied, slightly taken aback.

"Well yes, but that is Edwardian society. Life at Hogwarts is very different….the wizarding world is much more progressive," Lily said wholeheartedly.

"I beg to differ, I think it is Dumbledore who is progressive; there are many witches and wizards who are just like Muggles in Edwardian society. In fact I think some of the students do not tell their parents that Hogwarts has mixed classes. Don't you remember when Cecilia Talon's father came to pay Dumbledore a visit and he found out that his daughter was being taught with boys?" Remus disagreed.

"What happened?" Sirius asked.

"He went to Dumbledore and ranted and raved for a good twenty minutes about how Hogwarts is an high-class educational institution and they need to abide by the boundaries set by society and one cannot go about changing history. However, he failed to notice that there were lower class students mixing with the upper classes. After which he promptly withdrew Miss. Talon from the school and Dumbledore was forced to inform all the parents that while at Hogwarts boys and girls would be attending classes together. In response to his letter there were a few more angry parents and a few more withdrawals but you must know that Dumbledore is very well-respected gentlemen in the Wizarding World despite his unconventional practices therefore many people were not fazed," Remus explained.

"So my lady, did you happen to know Mr Potter while at Hogwarts?" Sirius asked.

"Please call me Lily when we are among friends, I feel we are close enough to be on a first name basis. However of course all rules apply when in earshot of the other servants. No I did not know James, he is middle class and even though Hogwarts was mixed, we were and I am sure it still is, socially divided by class. I remain friends with Remus because he is of the same social class and even though James and I were Head Boy and Head Girl for Gryffindor house, we did not talk to one another unless absolutely necessary. There was quite a lot of hostility and division in our house because we were not able to convey a united front but it was like that throughout the school. Even some of the teachers had their prejudices," Lily said wistfully.

"Nevertheless my years at Hogwarts were marvellous, the castle had many passages to explore and I enjoyed the company as well," Remus reminisced.

"I guess I really missed out… I should have accepted the invitation," Sirius said gloomily.

"Oh well, cheer up, tomorrow your training lessons will begin. Tomorrow please meet me in the vacant room next to my bedroom at ten o'clock. Arrive promptly with your _The Standard Book of Spells Grade 1_ textbook and we will begin with some magical theory," Remus told Sirius.

Lily laughed a little at Remus' earnestness and said, "Now, now, Remus, try not to become like Professor Binns; we do not want Sirius to lose his enthusiasm for magic," Lily warned with a twinkle in her eye.

"No, of course not, the next few weeks will be invigorating as well as rigorous," Remus said cheerfully.

Sirius felt slightly apprehensive; Remus seems liked a likable man however his teaching methods sounded slightly dull. However, Sirius would have to wait for the next day to see if he would be proved wrong.


	17. Turnabout is Fair Play

**Disclaimer: We don't own Lily Evans, James Potter, or any of the other characters belonging to J K Rowling who you'll meet as the story progresses. We do own the characters you don't recognise – unless, of course, you missed some names in the HP books. We own the plot and the settings, which we want to keep, so please don't steal anything.**

**A/N I can't even begin to apologise for the delay, so I won't. I hope you'll forgive me (and it is all down to me… Kate's been all but ready to kill me, and justifiably so). Just to recap, Lily has found out that Lord Marks is having an affair with the French Olivia Delacorte, and is quite understandably angry about it, as her parents also knew and said nothing. Sirius is about to start his magic lessons with Remus, and Lord Marks has fled to France in the wake of his wife's discovery. Now, for the chapter…**

_Turnabout is Fair Play_

Sirius winked at Melissa as he made his way to the specified room a few minutes before ten o'clock. She gave an exaggerated pout.

"Are you _sure _you have to go?" she asked, appealing to him with fluttering eyelashes. He merely laughed.

"I'm sure, Melissa. I told you, Mister Lupin wishes to dictate a letter to me."

"But why _you_?" she asked.

"Mister Lupin probably asked Mister Potter for a scribe, and he volunteered me. Anyway, this way I can tell you all about the court gossip."

"I don't care about the court gossip! You were supposed to help me carry coal to the rooms."

"This afternoon, fair lady," he told her with a courtly bow, bending over her hand and kissing it before winking up at her. "Besides," he added in a lower tone, "I do not know if I could trust myself alone with you." Leaving Melissa standing there blushing fiercely, he sauntered into the room at exactly ten o'clock. It was time for the lessons.

"Ah, Sirius," Remus said, looking up from the book he was reading and smiling at Sirius as he entered the room. "Punctual, I see."

"Of course, sir," Sirius replied, unaccountably shy suddenly.

"You were calling me Remus yesterday," Remus reminded him, immediately uncomfortably aware of the class difference. "Please feel free to do so here, too."

"I shall try to remember, Remus," Sirius replied rather formally. Remus nodded acceptance.

"Very well," he said briskly. "Exactly how much have you covered with James and Alice?"

Lily was in the morning room, assorted letters and correspondences lying scattered on the side table next to her as she stared into space, brooding on the state of her marriage. James came in with a list of questions to ask the lady of the house, took one look at Lily's face, and closed the door behind him. He was next to her in a moment, awkwardly patting her arm and wondering what on earth he could do.

"Shh, Lily," he whispered uncomfortably, "It's all right. Everything will be all right."

"It won't," she said into her hands. "My husband's having an affair and I'll have to live with it for the rest of my life."

"He'll come back to you," James said, trying to be reassuring. "He'll regret what he's done, and-"

"I don't _want _him to!" Lily said angrily, abruptly sitting up. "I don't ever want to touch him again. I don't love him!" She calmed then and said, almost to herself, "I don't love him. I've never loved him. My own husband."

"Perhaps," James said slowly, an odd note in his voice, "perhaps you don't need to." Lily laughed hollowly.

"I don't want to go to Azkaban for killing my muggle husband, no matter how tempting it is."

"That's not what I meant. I divorced. You could too."

"In today's society? It would never work."

"Why not?" he asked, frowning. "It worked for me."

"I couldn't do it," Lily said. "My parents would disown me, I'd be an outcast in society. I just couldn't."

James regarded her solemnly, and Lily began to wonder exactly what was going through her friend's mind.

"James… what are you thinking of?" she asked suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing," he replied innocently.

"Nothing?" she asked sceptically. "No, you tell me, James Potter, _exactly _what's going through that mind of yours."

James took a deep breath and said, "Okay. But first – I intend to speak honestly and openly, so I apologise if my thoughts offend you, or you find them distasteful."

Confused by his sudden lapse into formality, Lily immediately said, "Of course. What is it?"

"It… appears that you want to escape from Lord Marks, but that you do not want the stigma of society's disapproval. You want to live your own life, but you really cannot do so after a divorce. The solution, perhaps, is to make your husband wish to divorce you."

"But I'd still be pitied in society, even if they didn't blame me," she said flatly.

"Not in magical society. The Lady Lily Marks is only well-known and respected in muggle society. You'd probably have to start out simply, but thanks probably to Hogwarts and Dumbledore's influences women are a lot more… accepted, in wizarding society. I know you like charms, maybe you could even start a business!"

Lily felt a little overwhelmed. "But… how on earth… First of all, how would I make Lord Marks want to divorce me and make it look like it's not my fault?"

A slow grin spread across James's face. "Well… we'd have to be a bit unconventional."

"Unconventional…" she mused. Then her face lit up in a grin to rival James's. "I believe that might be just the way to go! What's your idea?"

_Dear Lady Olivia Charlotte Delacorte,_

_Lord and Lady Richard Marks request your presence at their annual summer ball, to be held on Wednesday the twelfth of June, in the year nineteen twelve at the Marks' estate. _

_Yours Sincerely,_

_Lord and Lady Richard Marks_

"What if it doesn't work, James?" Lily whispered to him from across the kitchen table. "I don't think I could live with him much longer if it fails."

James reached across to her and grasped her hands, sending a tingle up her spine as he smiled at her reassuringly. His teeth were bright in the darkness, she noted absently, and his eyes… shaking herself a little, she listened as he said, "It _will _work. You and I both know the man you married, and you know there are some things he just won't stand for. When the time is right, make your revelation."

"But what if…"

"No 'what if's," he told her gently, rubbing his thumb up and down her wrist. "Everything will go according to plan."

"Good evening," Lily said, smiling pleasantly. "Welcome to our estate. We hope you enjoy your evening." Her teeth were beginning to hurt, and there were butterflies in her stomach. Her husband stood next to her silently, nodding and smiling at the guests as Lily greeted them. Silently, she seethed. They had barely spoken since Richard's departure to France over a month ago, after Lily's discovery of the affair. If everything this evening went according to plan, that would change tonight. Lily swallowed, and for a moment her façade slipped. Then, with a deep breath, she plastered the smile back on her face and turned to greet the next guest.

Twenty minutes into greeting arriving guests, Olivia Delacorte walked through the door. Lily could feel Richard stiffen beside her, and inwardly she grinned. _Didn't know she was coming, did you? _Lily thought triumphantly.

"My dear Olivia," Lily said with all semblance of delight as Olivia approached. Thankfully, there were no other guests in the room at the moment. Lily seized Olivia's hand and grasped it between her own, smiling disarmingly at her husband's lover. "It is such a pleasure to finally meet my husband's _business _associate." Next to her, Richard stiffened even more. Lily suppressed a smirk.

"And such a pleasure to meet you," Olivia said in response, smiling at her host. Lily noticed that the smile did not reach the other woman's eyes. _Jealous?_ Lily thought cattily. _You've no right._ Aloud, she said, "I am glad to finally meet the wife of such a knowledgeable historian. Your husband speaks often of you."

"I'm sure he does," Lily said, inwardly thinking, h_e obviously hasn't told you I know, then. Good. This will work so much better if you think you're hiding his secret from me._ "I'm glad," she added, "that my husband is in such good _hands _when he visits France. I would hate for him to be… _lonely_."

"Excuse us, Lady Olivia," Richard said frostily. "My wife and I must attend to the other guests. I hope you enjoy your evening." With that he grasped Lily's hand in a vice-like grip and with deceptive force pulled her into a side chamber. Locking both doors, he rounded on her.

"What in heaven's name do you think you are doing?" he snarled.


	18. Changing Dynamics

**Disclaimer: We don't own Lily Evans, James Potter, or any of the other characters belonging to J K Rowling who you'll meet as the story progresses. We do own the characters you don't recognise – unless, of course, you missed some names in the HP books. We own the plot and the settings, which we want to keep, so please don't steal anything.**

**A/N: The May exams are finally over and your two authors are now officially High school graduates! Both of us have holiday plans before starting Uni or work so we may not update for a while…but you're used to that now. This fic is close to finishing and neither of us want it to drag on for months and months but nor do we want to compromise the quality and post a really lousy ending. Anyway, thank you for the reviews, and for continuing reading, please R/R. Enjoy!**

_**Changing Dynamics**_

"I do not know what you could mean," Lily said, feigning innocence.

"Lily, you know damn well what I mean. I thought we had settled everything already. I have no idea what has come over you. You are not the lady I married!" Richard said menacingly through gritted teeth.

"And you are not the man I married!" Lily retorted quickly before she could think. Slightly shocked at her exclamation she looked at how the colour had drained from Richard's face, and she felt a sudden fear that he would strike her.

Thankfully, there was a knock at the door, saving both of them from having to respond.

"Enter!" Richard barked.

Lily suppressed a hysterical giggle as the door opened to reveal James. It seemed that once again her husband's butler was her saviour.

"My Lord, I humbly apologise for the interruption, but I felt I should remind you that your speech is due in fifteen minutes," James said calmly and bowed before closing the door softly behind him.

"Well, I must go prepare my speech, Lily. We shall continue this discussion at a later time," Richard said curtly.

Lily nodded in compliance and Richard departed, leaving Lily to compose herself before she rejoined the Ball.

"Sirius, we really mustn't be doing this," Melissa said.

"You know you want to…"

"It goes against all rules of propriety," Melissa protested unpersuasively.

"Rules… are… made… to… be… broken," Sirius replied offhand, interspersing each word with a light kiss.

"Well I suppose this isn't as bad as fraternizing between the upstairs and downstairs," Melissa laughed lightly.

Sirius paused, and murmured, "Um yes, that would be…inappropriate".

Thankfully Melissa did not detect the hesitation in his voice; Sirius had a feeling Lily and James were concealing their affections for one another.

Since Melissa had a room of her own, Sirius was able to visit her at night. As long as he left before anyone in the household awoke, their relationship went unnoticed…or so they hoped.

Slowly, Sirius loosened his necktie.

"You're smiling, your lips are curling up, trying to stop, but you can't now you've started, can you?" Sirius whispered, smiling broadly.

"Smiling can be contagious," Melissa responded huskily.

"Why yes it can…" Sirius replied and was cut off by Melissa closing the gap between them.

Slowly, Sirius placed one hand on Melissa's waist and took her hand and silently began to dance to the barely perceptible music coming from the ball below them.

Melissa rested her chin on Sirius' shoulder and wondered when they would be able to profess their love for one another in public without dismissal.

"I wish I could openly court you. I wish I could tell the world what you mean to me," Sirius charmed her.

"What would you say if you were able to?" Melissa inquired, smiling flirtatiously as Sirius twirled her.

"I would tell them that I love the way you smile," Sirius began, "that I love the way you laugh at my jokes and never tell me how bad they are, no matter how strong the urge must be. I love the way you make me feel… when I'm with you I feel warmth, and when I have to leave you in the mornings I look forward to the next time we will be together again. I love the way you blush when you are complimented… as you are doing right now," Sirius said, grinning. "I adore you because you are so clever and competent at what you do yet you allow yourself to aspire to rise above the boundaries that constrict us; your dream of becoming a seamstress is remarkable. The fact that you have never doubted yourself, rightfully so makes me know you will succeed." Sirius said earnestly.

"You're such a charmer; I can see how you've earned your reputation."

"As what, a ladies man?" He smirked and took her hand leading her to the bed.

"No, a true gentleman," Melissa replied, swatting him lightly. She drew back the covers and they lay side by side in the narrow bed.

"I guess that'll work just as well," Sirius mused, idly twirling a strand of Melissa's hair in his fingers.

The next morning, Melissa and Sirius lay half asleep, intertwined, both savouring the moment until Sirius groaned, and said,

"I must leave soon; I wish I didn't have to…"

"Then don't," Melissa murmured as she lay with her head on his shoulder.

"You know I have to…" Sirius said, kissing her forehead.

"I wish we didn't have to sneak around. I am constantly afraid we'll get caught," Melissa said sadly as she broke off the kiss.

"The essence of love is uncertainty," Sirius articulated, and quickly tried to resume to where they had left off.

Melissa pulled away; a frown was beginning to form on Sirius' face, since after all he did not know when he would have time alone with his girlfriend again.

"But sometimes uncertainty is not what one wants, sometimes the exact opposite is desired," Melissa mused pensively.

"Stability," Sirius replied, and with that, he quickly kissed her and bade her goodbye.

_Stability, _Melissa murmured to herself as she lay back in bed, enjoying time to herself before Emma, the second housemaid, would come up to wake her at seven with breakfast, tea and hot water to wash with. Melissa would not see Sirius until Morning Prayer at quarter past nine for she would be helping Lily dress, thus missing the Servants' breakfast.

Breakfast was a solemn affair; both Richard and Lily went about their morning routine of reading the newspaper, neither wishing to bring up last night's discussion. Finally, Richard set down his tea cup, cleared his throat in a pretentious manner, and looked over at Lily who was sitting at the opposite end of the dining table.

"Lily, I do feel we left the yesterday's matter unresolved. Would you care to meet me in the Business Room at eleven o'clock?" Richard said authoritatively.

Lily simply nodded as Richard placed his napkin on the table and exited the room, and she followed suit.

"Lily, it seems as if your years of finishing school were not sufficient to equip you with the necessary decorum to be a Lord's wife," Richard began lecturing Lily as if she were a young child, something which she had despised from the very start of the incompatible marriage.

"Any other lady would not have exhibited such poor behaviour as you showed last night. I have not the faintest idea what has come over you recently. I understand my...er…little indiscretion may have caused you some discomfort and I am deeply sorry," Richard went on trying in vain to seem sincere.

"However, my lady, are you not being slightly naïve… I thought a lady of your intelligence would understand…" Richard said, pacing up and down the room as Lily sat on the sofa.

"Understand what! Understand that her husband will not remain faithful to her? Is that too much to ask?" Lily responded harshly.

"Lily! As you husband I demand respect! I will not have you speaking to me in this impertinent manner!" Richard said firmly.

"Richard, you and I both are aware that this is an ill-fated marriage. You have found someone who will make you happy, can we not come to some sort of agreement?" Lily said calmly, changing tact.

"This is not the matter I am willing to discuss. I asked you in here to discuss your behaviour as a lady. I am already uncomfortable that am I am forced to address this issue, so please my dear do not make this more troublesome. I need not remind you that it is your duty to abide by my wishes," Richard said, not swayed in the least.

"I am sorry, but I cannot blindly allow you to continue this charade," Lily said.

"My lady, what do you intend? You should not even consider defying me," Richard scoffed.

"My lord, I wish not to tarnish your high reputation, but you may leave me no choice," Lily said, biting her lower lip and reminding herself to keep her tone calm despite her inner fury.

"Is that a threat?" Richard asked incredulously, laughing loudly. "Lily, your trickery and defiance never cease to amaze me. I will not succumb to any bribery or intimidation," he proclaimed arrogantly.

"As we are to live as man and wife, I will regrettably have to strictly enforce rules of propriety and if you are unable to adhere to them, appropriate action will have to be taken. One cannot have his wife exhibiting such uncivilized behaviour. Firstly, as you are now aware of my activities with Lady Olivia, I wish you to show some discretion when speaking with her; she is a close friend and I will not tolerate you offending her in any manner. Secondly, I would like you to demonstrate more support towards me; I do not feel that we convey a united front. Thirdly, as much as I appreciate Mr. Potter's services, it has come to my attention that there has been some impropriety downstairs and I fear it is your duty to inform him of his dismissal…"

"You wish to dismiss James!" Lily exclaimed before she could stop herself.

"James?" Richard said slightly bemused, raising an eyebrow, "Oh, you must mean, Mr. Potter… Lily, why are you on Christian name basis with our servants?" Richard questioned.

"Oh, yes, I meant to say Mr. Potter, I do not know what came over me…" Lily covered up hastily, and ineffectually.

"Hmm," Richard replied, unconvinced, but continued regardless.

"Fourthly…" Richard rambled on.

Lily's mind wandered as she tried to think of a way to salvage the situation without having to reveal any details about her relationship with James.

"Lily, you agree, do you not?" Richard said, jolting Lily back to reality.

"Ah…could you repeat your last point, please?"

"This is unacceptable! Your attention span is as short as that of a young child! I certainly expected more when I agreed to court you…" Richard said disappointedly.

"That is it! I have had absolutely enough of you comparing me to a young child! Do I need to continue to prove my worth as a grown woman to you? I am perfectly aware of Edwardian social conduct and I do try my best to be your dutiful wife!" Lily snapped, standing up, looking squarely in her husband's eyes.

"If this is your idea of being a dutiful wife, I do not wish to know what your view of a noncompliant wife is!" Richard spat in contempt as he stopped pacing and stood inches away from Lily.

"Richard, you have not made this easy for me, how am I supposed to respect you as a man if you gallivant off to consort with a French harlot!" Lily said in exasperation. Richard stepped towards her and struck her hard on her left cheek. Instinctively she placed her hand on the swollen cheek.

"I will not be spoken to in this manner! How dare you…" Richard said, incensed, jaw clenched and steely-eyed as he clutched Lily's wrist tightly.

"I am the man of the house! You have continuously disrespected my status and have not honoured your responsibility as my wife. As you know perfectly well, rules of propriety state that my word is final! Time and time again you demonstrate that you are incapable of following those rules, which are not laid down by my myself, but by society! Furthermore, now you have conveyed such un-ladylike behaviour… who are you? You are most certainly not a lady! I have tried to reason with you with words but you have forced me to resort to more severe measures. I do not wish to hurt you, but I fear this is the only way you will learn…" Richard said as he raised his hand, motioning to strike her again, but in a flash Lily had withdrawn her wand with her free hand and shouted "_Expelliarmus_," casting a spell which sent Richard flying backwards, hitting against the wall with force and leaving him looking both mystified and frightened as he collapsed on the floor.

"Richard… as I said, you have left me no choice. I am deeply sorry that I have disappointed you and was not able to carry out my duties as your wife and I regret having to resort to witchcraft," Lily said solemnly.

"Get… out…!" Richard said in a pathetic voice, trying to assert his authority but they both knew, with a sudden, painful clarity, which of them was really in control.

**Additional notes: "**_The essence of love is uncertainty"_ **is quoted from the film _The Importance of Being Earnest _**

**Under normal circumstances Lily or people other than Richard's business associates and the butler would not be allowed in the Business Room, but I think Richard would want to talk to Lily on his turf so to speak.**


End file.
